The Lego craze may have quieted over the past 81 years, but the toys continue to shine their brilliance on young and old alike. The more than 400 billion blocks out in the world have shown us how playing with our imagination can make learning fun.
Like Lego, littleBits Electronics is on a mission. It wants to give the world appendable toys that help make electronics and circuitry builds an easy, fun, and educational experience for all creative people.
Ayah Bdeir, the founder of littleBits, was always interested in science and engineering growing up in Lebanon. Naturally, she gravitated toward an education in engineering. After getting her master's degree from the MIT Media Lab, she began to see that much of the world did not get enough exposure to the technological world behind the electronics that surround our everyday lives. She built her company with an eye toward lessening the intimidating nature of electronics.
The cutesy looking design littleBits toys pack quite a creative potential for innovators of all ages. (Source: littleBits Electronics)
LittleBits bills itself as "an open-source library of electronic modules that snap together with magnets for prototyping, learning, and fun." The latest littleBits platform v0.3 offers a wide array of electronic blocks. The magnetic connections ensure that current always flows in the right direction (and that components don't fry).
The blocks are grouped into four different categories: power, input, output, and wiring. The color-coded, neatly packaged, and well-labeled components include wall power adapters, buttons, dimmers, light sensors, bend sensors, pressure sensors, motion triggers, LEDs, fans, servo motors, wires, logic gates... the list goes on. For such a cutesy looking design, the toys pack quite a creative potential for innovators of all ages.
Bdeir told us she hopes that, like Lego, littleBits changes the way we think about educating our children. Schools have been known to limit imaginative learning with strict curricula and an emphasis on high-stakes testing. Learning through playing allows one to experiment and become engaged in a boundless world of possibility. Perhaps more entrepreneurial efforts of this sort will enlighten schools to get back to being fun.
LittleBits kits are available in four sizes: a three-piece Teaser Kit ($29), a seven-piece Holiday Kit ($49), a 10-piece Starter Kit ($89), and a 14-piece Extended Kit ($149). Individual components are also available for purchase on the company's website.
I too feel learning should be made a bit more enjoyable. Then definitely the children will focus on it a bit more. At present most of the teenagers are glued into different types of games which too are a category of toys. If we can link these 2 games or toys with education, definitely there will be a rise in the levels of education plus more and more will be involved in learning new things even in class rooms.
Anything tha makes learning fun will likely make kids more willing to learn, not to mention make it a positive experience for them. This actually even looks like fun for adults, especially some of us who aren't technically versed in circuits and electronics. :) It's also in line with a mission by President Obama to get kids interested at an earlier age in math and science to help the U.S. compete workforce-wise on a worldwide level, as students in other countries in Asia especially are performing better than American students. Nice coverage.
I heartily agree, Liz. Fun is essential. I blieve a whole generation of mechanical engineers were inspired by toys of the '50s and '60s: Legos; erector sets; Mister Machine, Kener's Girder & Panel building sets. When those toys went away in the '70s and '80s, engineering enrollments started to decline. See the YouTube '60s video of Mister Machine here:
That's an interesting trend to note, Chuck, but I believe you may be right. Maybe with some new and clever toys, designers like Ayah Bdeir can help foster a new generation of engineers. It certainly can't hurt to try to engage children in this way. And the kids I know seem to be getting smarter by the minute--I am truly amazed by the potential of future generations.
Indeed, Chuck. And it also gives kids an idea of what they are interested in at an early age, leading them down the right path vocationally. Hopefully this leads them to a fitting and fulfilling career. If kids become interested in engineering early through clever toys, it might save them time later on deciding what they want to do with their life.
Even though Lego's last patent expired in 1989, kids still prefer it by name. The Lego craze has not quieted. No other competitor has been able to effectlively enter the building block market. Kids won't allow it. Lego has briliantly added pneumatic components in the 80's and co-branding in the 90's to expand the brand's influence and fun factor.
Little Bits is more complex than Legos. It's great for the advanced student. I wonder if teachers would allow it to be used for science projects. Or, would using it be considered cheating by some?
Ever since learning about littleBits I thought the exposed circuit boards were an interesting choice. It makes the kids, or whoever, realize that inside electronics is a complex and delicate place. If the company cover the boards, which they could, the "how it works" will be behind the magic curtain. Glad it's open.
On the LEGO note: yes they are more popular, but the others are catching up. Like Kre-O, they have licensed "Transformers" and many other popular properties. I was almost tempted to buy a set. But, I think it comes down to the "minifig," the little LEGO guy. The original is more appealing to me than the knock-offs. And, I think the minifig contributes to the success. Plus LEGO has Mindstorm and NXT.
KreO is interesting, but I will say that the KreO manual is much more difficult to understand than Lego. As a kid, I had a Capsella set that had clear bubbles with viewable gears, so you could see the motion transfer. It was cool to watch working. Hopefully, the viewable circuit boards on these new toys will show the internal engineering
I applaud Bdeir for creating this product. Students seldom make a committment to study things that they dislike or are intimidated by. It's essential to make technology fun at the lower levels. Nice story, Cabe.
I think you're definitely right about Legos, NadineJ--nearly every kid I know still goes through some kind of Lego phase. I also like your idea about using these advanced toys in the classroom--the earlier the better.
In addition to being fun, these toys can also help a young person impress their friends (making it 'cool' to learn). Kids should also be recognized by their peers for their prowess with technology.
In the future all will depend on the technology with the everyday increasing need gaps of the people. Traditional ways will remain on the museums. So it's good to start learning with the technology in the early stage.
So defanaitly Electronic Learning Toys will Help Educate the World.
The only downside to this littleBits is that all the boards just click together in a proprietary way. There is no hands on configuring, like breadboards, etc. It still removes the kid from realizing, these circuits have to be constructed, each part.
I will admit, most engineering is based off on modules these days. So, may it's just a sign of the times.
KreO has Transformers and GIJOE. I have to say, that may be a trump card.
If KreO had the same level of robotics tinkering LEGO does, the Transformers sets would be amazing. But as Nadine said, they can be used with LEGO, so perhaps there is hope for auto-transforming toys.
My education about electricity and circuits began with building simple sequencing circuits using cast-off Allen Bradley control relays. They were easy to understand since all of the contacts were in the open, easy to watch as they opened and closed. And all of it ran on 110 volts AC power, so there were no batteries to go dead on me. The designs were noisy and sparky and quite entertaining to a nine-year-old, and they amazed my friends who came to watch them work. What a great way to recycle industrial controls parts that weere just a bit obsolete. Later on I did get one of those educational electronic kits that made a bunch of different projects. I don't think that anyone worried about the 150 volts DC power that they used, and I know that I didn't get shocked by it while using it, so it must have been safe, somehow.
A good recollection, Charles. I can recall visiting some science fairs in the late 1950's and early 1960"s and seeing various computational functions executed in hard-coded relay logic. And I have seen some of the older industrical control panels with a hundred or more of the little "ice cube" type relays, all running some fairly complex machines. Those were more the logic type of relays, while the cast-offs that I had were more toward the power types, with contacts designed to switch ten amp loads all day long.
How many electrical engineering careers were also initiated from a Heathkit set? I think 'toys' like this will continue to have a positive impact on educational learning.
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