BBC’s Micro:Bit: A Microcomputer For Kids

This October, a million kids in the United Kingdom will be getting their hands on BBC’s new microcomputer, the Micro:Bit for free. The British Broadcasting Corporation partnered up with nearly 30 electronics manufacturing companies which include Microsoft, ARM and Samsung to create not just the microcomputer but also educational tools that will help Year 7 (aged 11 or 12) students learn the fundamentals of programming that shall help them move on to complex tools such as the Raspberry Pi. The credit-card sized microcomputer was unveiled today as a part of the BBC’s 2015 Make it Digital initiative.


The Micro:Bit microcomputer measures 4cm by 5cm and houses 25 red LEDs which light up to flash messages and can be used as a display for rudimental games. There are two programmable buttons that can be used to invoke programmed actions such as game controls or music shuffle. Kids will be able to develop motion sensing games on the Micro:Bit as it has an accelerometer and a built-in compass. You can connect the Micro:Bit to other Micro:Bits or external hardware with the help of 5 input and output rings. Unlike the The Raspberry Pi 2 Review - Officially Awesome Micro Computer, the Micro:Bit has on-board Bluetooth support but it misses on Wi-Fi. The Micro:Bit can be powered by USB or by an add-on battery pack that accepts two AA size batteries.


Instead of providing kids with an installable Software Development Kit that works on a single platform, the BBC has said that it shall unveil a dedicated website that was created by Microsoft for the Micro:Bit later in the year where kids will be able to code, save and test their creations in a emulator before sending the code to their Micro:Bit. This means whether you are on your laptop, tablet or smartphone of any platform you will be able to write programs for your Micro:Bit.


This is not the first time the BBC has done this sort of thing. Some time back in the 1980’s the broadcaster had developed the BBC Micro for the same purpose. While former was quite bulky and slow, its successor is roughly 18 times faster and 67 times lighter than it. If the programmer in you in envying the kids in the UK, we have some news that will pacify your anger. BBC has said that the project is open source (both hardware and software) which will allow third-party hardware manufacturers to make and sell the Micro:Bit on a commercial basis.


Source: #-Link-Snipped-#, BBC Blogs - About the BBC - Inspiring a Generation – the BBC Micro Bit Via: BBC Micro Bit computer's final design revealed - BBC News