Hummingbird dev board (via Brainbird Technologies)
Brainbird Technologies is helping to motivate kids everywhere about the interesting and exciting opportunities science offers. The Hummingbird, a small do-it-yourself microcontroller, is aimed at kids in grades 5-7 and is hoping to spark an interest in science with kids while still at a young age. Furthermore, Tom Lauwers, robot design chief of Birdbrain, even went on to describe the device as a pre-Arduino.
The unit is sold as a kit that comes with many parts that can be used to make things move, light up, and interact with their environment. For instance, the kit includes, LEDs, sensors for sound, light, and temperature, servos, and DC motors. Additionally, the kit parts are organized into four sub-kits making it possible to buy them separately. The four sub-categories are control, light and vibration, motion, and sensing. Once the parts are connected to the controller, the motors, lights, and sensors, can all be controlled through a very easy to use visual programming environment. The controller must be connected to the computer at all times to function, but that cannot stop anyone from creating an awesome robot still.
Getting started is also a remarkably painless process. There are video tutorials, a setup manual, and step by step instructions including example projects all available through the Hummingbird website. The main kit is priced at $199, which compared to similar kits available is a reasonable price, especially considering the array of parts that come with it. In addition, a cheaper kit is in the works that will contain less parts but the same idea. This is a kit that I would have been tremendously interested in as a kid. The possibilities to create whatever comes to mind is exactly what kids can be using to fulfill their imagination. Introducing kids to electronics and programming is also a great benefit to them and society.
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