NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--littleBits, the easy-to-use platform of electronic building blocks that is empowering everyone to create inventions, large and small, is taking on screen time in a big way. According to a survey by Common Sense Media, 50 percent of kids say they are “addicted” to their mobile devices.1 This fall, littleBits aims to help parents fight back against passive screen time and use their kids’ smart devices to extend learning from the classroom to the home. The company is supercharging its award-winning littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets Kit with a new wireless Bluetooth Low Energy Bit and a completely new digital experience that enables kids to control their inventions through smartphones or tablets, using the littleBits Invent app as a personal invention advisor. The new littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition transforms kids’ screen time into hands-on, powerful STEM/STEAM learning through endless hours of invention-based play and problem-solving. The littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition is available online at littleBits.com and on store shelves for $199.95.
The Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition provides exciting new ways to invent and control your inventions using your smart device’s camera, display, touch screen & gyroscope with the introduction of its groundbreaking Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Bit and the new littleBits Invent app. Kids can start with step-by-step instructions to build everything from a crawling inchworm to a wireless rover to a DIY arcade game, then control them with a tilt, shake, or tap of a smartphone. The Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition includes 13 reusable electronic building blocks, instructions for 16 inventions, a mix of other accessories and tools, and a fully integrated app experience.
Ayah Bdeir, CEO and founder of littleBits said, “Virtually every parent we speak to is worried about how much time their kids are spending on their screens. We decided to infiltrate this passive, zoned out screen time to make it about invention and guilt-free play, problem-solving and creativity. Ultimately we want to coopt their screen time, give them a taste of the pride of inventing, and make that newfound creative confidence their new (healthy) addiction.”
The Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition includes step-by-step instructions for inventions such as:
- Bubble-Blowing Bot: Make a machine that blows bubbles for you.
- Crawling Inchworm: Create a caterpillar you control with a tilt of your phone or tablet.
- DIY Arcade Game: Invent a game that puts a new spin on pinball.
- Wireless Rover: Build a spinning car and let your smart device steer.
- Photobooth Controller: Invent a controller that snaps photos wirelessly from the camera on your phone or tablet.
Using the free littleBits Invent app, users will have access to control their inventions, participate in monthly challenges, and find ideas for countless inventions uploaded by the huge littleBits online community. The Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition is also the first kit from littleBits to feature an invention from the littleBits community: the Inchworm invention, which was invented and uploaded by Tan Tran, a product design engineer based in New York City.
The Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition is available online at littleBits.com, and at retail partners such as Best Buy, select Microsoft Stores, select Macy’s, select Target stores, Barnes & Noble Stores, Marbles the Brain Store and Amazon. Last holiday season, the littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets Kit was awarded “Toy of the Year” by Popular Mechanics and selected as a holiday favorite by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, among others. In addition to the littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd Edition, other award-winning littleBits kits include the Rule Your Room Kit, the Synth Kit in partnership with KORG, the Smart Home Kit, the STEAM Student Set, the Workshop Set, Pro Library, Hardware Development Kit, Arduino Coding Kit and more.
All images and videos can be found at littlebits.cc/kits/gizmos-and-gadgets-kit-2nd-edition.
littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, 2nd
Edition
Available: October 3rd
MSRP: $199.95
Recommended
Ages: 8+
Available: littleBits.com, Best Buy, select
Microsoft Stores, select Macy’s, select Target stores, Barnes & Noble
Stores, Marbles the Brain Store, Amazon
About littleBits
littleBits is the New York-based hardware startup that is on a mission to Democratize Hardware by empowering everyone to Create Inventions, large and small, with its innovative platform of easy-to-use Electronic Building Blocks. The company’s innovative building blocks snap together with magnets to allow anyone to build, invent, and prototype with electronics independent of age, gender and technical background. From classrooms to homes, littleBits is driving excitement for invention-based learning through invention challenges and in-classroom curriculum. The company is also dedicated to successfully bridging the gender gap with its gender-neutral platform, inspiring young girls and young boys to unleash their creativity and embrace STEAM (Science, Technology, Art and Mathematics) through the invention cycle. littleBits is being used by more than 12,000 educators across the world as an engaging tool for making STEAM more accessible to all students and preparing them for the jobs that haven’t been invented yet.
The company was founded in 2011 by MIT Graduate, TED Senior Fellow and Cofounder of the Open Hardware Summit, Ayah Bdeir, and has grown to be a global leader in hardware. Bdeir was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, one of Inc.’s “35 Under 35” and "Entrepreneurs to Watch," one of Entrepreneur's "10 Leaders to Watch," one of Popular Mechanics’ “25 Makers Who Are Reinventing the American Dream,” and one of MIT Technology Review’s “35 Innovators Under 35.” The littleBits platform includes more than 9 kits and 67 interoperable modules with millions of products sold to over 150 countries around the world. The littleBits invention app takes inventing to new levels with thousands of additional invention ideas and challenges. The company was named in CNN’s “Top 10 Startups to Watch,” one of the CNBC “Next List,” and has been profiled by the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Wired, Popular Mechanics. To learn more, visit littleBits.com.
1 Common Sense Media, The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens (2015), https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/tweens-teens-and-screens-what-our-new-research-uncovers