Focused on providing engaging circuit boards for young learners. While coding with puzzle blocks become predominate for beginners, we hope to complement these open-source platforms with PCB’s that are fun shaped and populated with easy to understand components & programmable microcontrollers. Designing kits that challenge you to create, inspire and repeat.
Fun shaped printed circuit boards
Hearing about the future shortage of technology talent and lack of people to fill STEM careers in America, we started thinking of ways to expose engineering concepts to children as early as possible. How could we help solve this issue? After searching for products that looked fun and provided edutainment, nothing that we had in mind surfaced. We then realized that what we were looking for had yet to be created.
As the CEO of Bits4Bots, studying Electrical Engineering at the University of South Florida and being an alumna of Hillsborough Community College, I brainstormed my first crab-shaped circuit card. The issue I had with electronics is that products in the market were either arbitrarily square-shaped, they were toys in a completed design, or they were too advanced for a novice.
By keeping a younger audience in mind, we can conduct research and development using colors, shapes, sensors, IoT, and small microcontrollers from the Atmel ATtiny family.
Marble run project. Bits4Bots table at Synapse Summit 2019, Amalie Arena
Robotic automated solder arm. Mass production equipment.
Our products are designed to help learners understand concepts in electronics. Providing do it yourself projects that foster skill sets such as soldering, teamwork, critical thinking, basic component knowledge, problem solving and analytical skills.
We believe introducing children to printed circuit boards and hardware presents the idea that they can engineer toys, gadgets, and anything they put their minds to.
Thinking innovatively has allowed us to think outside of the box and create kid-friendly, fun-shaped PCB’s to grab the attention of K-5th grade, and more advanced boards for 6th and up.
Going forward we hope to introduce artsy electronics to children before they are asked what careers they would like to pursue. Making partnerships with organizations that teach coding, 3D design, and other essential software skills that will be beneficial to future careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Collaborating on future projects with organizations in similar fields
Turtle proto board for electronic projects. Designed with KiCad open-source software
