Next Generation Innovators Try Out BBC micro:bit

Forty students and their teachers from seven East Kilbride schools experienced the BBC micro:bit for the first time and discovered how NXP technologies help change the world and make our lives smarter. NXP’s “Smarter World Tour” truck was the backdrop for this science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) event.

First interaction with the BBC micro:bit for students

For the first time, students were able to explore the BBC micro:bit – to be rolled out across United Kingdom schools beginning March 22. NXP engineers held interactive sessions to give students a “hands-on” experience with the micro:bit. The young participants learned some basic programming tasks as well as more technically challenging tasks like generating a compass and auto pilot application. Students and teaching staff alike were excited to take skills learned at the event back into the school environment and encourage more programmers of tomorrow.

The BBC micro:bit, a small, wearable device with an LED display that can be programmed in a number of ways, will be given to every grade seven student in the UK. A standalone, entry-level coding device that enables children to pick it up, plug it into a computer and start creating, the micro:bit is designed to help students develop an intuitive understanding of programming concepts and controlling hardware in technology and computing. As a product partner, NXP contributed a microcontroller, two motion sensors and a system level ESD (electrostatic) protection device to every micro:bit.

NXP East Kilbride long-term STEM program and micro:bit mentoring

NXP’s facility in East Kilbride has been a longstanding advocate of STEM-oriented activities, regularly hosting work-experience students who spend one week working across the full site with all disciplines covered. The NXP staff will work with local schools to support the launch of the micro:bit – helping run workshops for programming and encouraging learning and fun. Later this year NXP will host a STEM event to encourage young women to pursue careers in technical fields.

NXP Smarter World Tour: Technology in action

In addition to getting hands-on with the new micro:bit, the attending students visited NXP’s “Smarter World Tour” and experienced an amazing breadth of real-world products and the applications technology enables. The Smarter World Tour is a 36-ton, two-level, fully mobile semi-truck trailer, which turns into a large and spacious mobile tradeshow.

The truck features 150 connected demonstrations based on NXP solutions, highlighting technologies and products that are driving the Internet of Things (IoT) today and connected products of tomorrow, from the world’s smallest microcontrollers to the most complex networking infrastructure through the most secured NFC solutions.

Many of the students attending said they were “amazed at the technology already out there today and how much it would change and improve their lives in the future.”

“We are going back to school now to order boards,” said one of the teachers attending the event. “We are also excited about the offer of NXP to work with us in understanding the current BBC online projects available for the boards and maybe working together with other local schools on a common project and challenge.” “The board is a cool gadget,” a pupil shared. “The task set by NXP was difficult but very interesting. The boards at first look simple but are capable of very technically complicated tasks also. I really like the wide scope of the board and the possibilities it brings to interact with the outside world via Bluetooth for example.”

NXP is committed to building a smarter society by stimulating innovation at all levels, from mentoring young people interested in how things work, to guiding budding scientists in their pursuit of building life-changing technologies to supporting entrepreneurs and designers working in incubators and start-ups.