BBC Unveils The micro:bit

The BBC and partners have unveiled the BBC micro:bit – a pocket-sized, codeable computer that allows children to get creative with technology. Up to one million devices will be given to every 11 or 12-year-old child in Year 7 (or equivalent) across the UK, for free.

In the 1980s, the BBC Micro introduced children to computing for the first time. As part of the BBC's 2015 Make it Digital initiative, the BBC micro:bit builds on the legacy of the Micro for the digital age. It aims to inspire young people to get creative with digital; develop core skills in science, technology and engineering; and create a new generation of digital makers, inventors and pioneers.

Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC, said: "Channelling the spirit of the Micro for the digital age, the BBC micro:bit will inspire a new generation in a defining moment for digital creativity here in the UK. All you need is your curiosity, creativity and imagination – we'll provide the tools. This has the power to be transformative for the UK. The BBC is one of the few organisations in the world that could convene something on this scale, with such an unprecedented partnership at its core."

The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that you can code, customise and control to bring digital ideas, games and apps to life. It measures 4cm by 5cm, available in a range of colours, and is designed to be fun and easy to use. Something simple can be coded in seconds – like lighting up its LEDs or displaying a pattern – with no prior knowledge of computing. It also connects to other devices, sensors, kits and objects, and is a great companion to Arduino, Galileo, Kano, littleBits and Raspberry Pi, acting as a spring-board to more complex learning.

Key features of the micro:bit include –

• 25 red LEDs to light up, flash messages, create games and invent digital stories
• Two programmable buttons activated when pressed.
• On-board motion detector or 'accelerometer' that can detect movement and tell other devices you're on the go. Featured actions include shake, tilt and freefall.
• A built-in compass or 'magnetometer' to sense which direction you're facing, your movement in degrees, and where you are. Includes an in-built magnet, and can sense certain types of metal.
• Bluetooth Smart Technology to connect to the internet and interact with the world around you. Connect the micro:bit to other micro:bits, devices, kits, phones, tablets, cameras and everyday objects.
• Five Input and Output (I/O) rings to connect the micro:bit to devices or sensors using crocodile clips or 4mm banana plugs. Use the micro:bit to send commands to and from the rings, to power devices like robots and motors.

Each element of the BBC micro:bit is completely programmable via easy-to-use software on a dedicated website – available later in the summer at microbit.co.uk – that can be accessed from a PC, tablet or mobile. A personal area on the website will allow users to save and test their creations in a simulator before they are transferred to their micro:bit.

Sinead Rocks, Head of BBC Learning, said: "We happily give children paint brushes when they're young, with no experience – it should be exactly the same with technology. The BBC micro:bit is all about young people learning to express themselves digitally, and it's their device to own. It's our most ambitious education initiative for 30 years. And as the micro:bit is able to connect to everything from mobile phones to plant pots and Raspberry Pis, this could be for the internet-of-things what the BBC Micro was to the British gaming industry."

The micro:bit was first conceived by BBC Learning in 2012, and initially developed together with the BBC's R&D department. The scale and scope of the initiative has only been made possible by an unprecedented collaboration between 29 international organisations, pioneering start-ups and transformative education organisations.

The BBC is the overall editorial and project lead for the micro:bit, coordinating the partnership, micro:bit development and delivery, learning resources and on-air and online inspiration for teachers, schools and makers across the UK.

Product partners include ARM, Barclays, element14, Freescale, Lancaster University, Microsoft, Nordic Semiconductor, Samsung, ScienceScope, Technology Will Save Us and The Wellcome Trust.

Product champions, who will help to support the device through outreach, engagement, educational resources and additional services include Bluetooth SIG, Bright Future, Cannybots, Cisco, Code Club, Coderdojo, Code Kingdoms, Creative Digital Solutions, CultureTECH, Institution of Engineering and Technology, Kitronik, London Connected Learning Centre, MyMiniFactory, Python Software Foundation, STEMNET, TeenTech and the Tinder Foundation.

The BBC micro:bit will start to arrive in schools in late October.

Further information on the micro:bit as well as information on the product partners, can be found here.

(JP)