In this article we are going to explain what micro:bit is and what it is used for. It is a small board launched in 2012 by the BBC that has since helped thousands of children, and adults as well, learn programming and educational robotics.
micro:bit has been a remarkable success in educational robotics and, in my opinion, that comes down to the following factors:
- Its low price: we are talking about a board that costs around 20 euros.
- Its open nature: anyone can use micro:bit in their own projects, which means there are lots of development boards, robots and gadgets built around it.
- Its versatility: it can be used in many different ways, on its own, as part of a robotics project or inside a maker project.
What is micro:bit?
It is a 4x5 cm board, just a few millimetres deep, composed of:
- 25 programmable LEDs arranged as a matrix where you can create custom drawings.
- 2 programmable buttons on the front.
- A Bluetooth 4.0 or radio antenna: several micro:bits can connect to each other through radio or Bluetooth.
- A microUSB connector: used to power the board and upload programs to it.
- Connection pins: used to attach external sensors or actuators such as motors, sensors or stepper motors.
- Sensors:
- compass
- accelerometer
- light
- temperature
How does it work?
If we want to use micro:bit, what we need to do is program it. In other words, we create a program that uses the resources listed in the previous section to build a project. At the moment we can program micro:bit with:
- MakeCode: a web app very similar to Scratch. You can program using only the simulator included in the application and then download the program to the board.
- Python: a professional programming language, and micro:bit is a perfect tool for getting started with it.
- Swift: a programming language created by Apple and used to build all of its software.
What is it used for?
With micro:bit we can create programs that run only on the board itself, from small games to simple applications, or connect it to any of the many gadgets, robots and builds that have grown around the micro:bit ecosystem.
We can build:
- Robots with expansion boards to which we attach motors and sensors.
- Maker builds such as weather stations.
- Video games with expansion boards that turn the device into a controller.
And anything else you can imagine. micro:bit is an open platform that keeps growing, and it is without doubt one of the best options for getting started in educational robotics.
