littleBits is a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

-based startup that makes an

open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...

library of modular electronics ( open-source electronics), which snap together with small magnets for prototyping and learning. The company's goal is to democratize hardware the way software and printing have been democratized. The littleBits mission is to "put the power of electronics in the hands of everyone, and to break down complex technologies so that anyone can build, prototype, and invent." littleBits units are available in more than 70 countries and used in more than 2,000 schools. The company was named to CNN's 10 Startups to Watch for 2013.

History and funding

littleBits began as a small project in 2008 that Ayah Bdeir, the company's founder and CEO, created for a group of New York designers. She launched littleBits in September 2011. In June 2015, littleBits raised $44.2 million in Series B funding led by DFJ Growth. In November 2013, littleBits received $11.1 million in funding led by True Ventures and Foundry Group, with participation from Two Sigma Ventures, Vegas Tech Fund, and

Khosla Ventures Khosla Ventures is an American venture capital firm founded by Vinod Khosla, focused on early-stage companies in the Internet, computing, mobile, financial services, agriculture, healthcare and clean technology sectors. Some of its most successf ...

, among others.

Products

In August 2013, the company released the Base, Premium and Deluxe Kits, the first kits to feature the current bits and modules. The goal is to make getting started with littleBits easier and containing the most important modules than other kits. LittleBits2

In July 2014, littleBits introduced cloudBit, a WiFi-enabled module that lets builders add Internet connectivity to their designs. The goal is to give "the average person an easy and open way to contribute to the

Internet of Things The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other comm ...

" using an open-source platform comparable to

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

or Android to build such things as a remote control for coffee makers, heating/cooling systems, or other appliances. In November 2014, the company released the Smart Home Kit, designed to let builders "hack together versions of familiar smart-home concepts—connected coffee pots and presence-aware lamps—or create solutions of their own devising." Using the modules, builders could test smart home gadgets of their own designs to "feel out this new territory for themselves" instead of "taking some company’s word on what your smart home should be."

Uses and partnerships

LittleBits consists of small circuit boards with specific functions built to snap together with magnets without soldering, wiring, or programming. Each bit has its own specific function, such as light, sound, sensors, or buttons. There are "trillions of billions of combinations" possible in the littleBits open source library.

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

has collaborated with littleBits to design projects for a littleBits ‘Space Kit.’ Projects include building a model

Mars Rover A Mars rover is a motor vehicle designed to travel on the surface of Mars. Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place themselves in sunny pos ...

and the wireless transmission of music to a model of the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

.’ In October 2014, the Space Kit won a

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

"Innovation by Design" award. In 2013, littleBits partnered with the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

Stores in New York to build two window displays, which included a giant ferris wheel "propelled by a miniature cyclist" and a "mad scientist controlling a nearly life-sized puppet." Also in 2013, littleBits collaborated with

KORG , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, they ...

to create the Synth Kit, allowing users to build a DIY synthesizer or create musical instruments. In 2018 LittleBits STEAM Student Set was certified by the

Education Alliance Finland Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

for pedagogical quality.

Marketplace and retail store

In September 2014, littleBits announced bitLab, a marketplace for products built using littleBits kits and modules. The "app store for hardware" is the "first marketplace for user-generated hardware" (according to Bdeir) and has the potential to become "the most extensive platform for hardware creation and innovation available." In July 2015, littlebits opened a retail store in

Soho, Manhattan SoHo, sometimes written Soho (South of Houston Street), is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and has also been known for its variet ...

. The store has an innovative retail model that allows users to either use the littlebits product for free in-store ("Inventions to Stay"), or to build something, pay for the components, and take it away ("Inventions to Go").

Role in Maker movement

The first launch of littleBits was at Makerfaire 2009. littleBits won Editor's Choice awards in 2009 and 2011 from

MAKE magazine ''Make'' (stylized as ''Make:'' or ''MAKE:'') is an American magazine published by Make: Community LLC which focuses on Do It Yourself (DIY) and/or Do It With Others (DIWO) projects involving computers, electronics, metalworking, robotics, woodwork ...

. The company has organized a series of hackathons and workshops to encourage active participation in science and technology. CEO Bdeir was named to Popular Mechanics’ 25 Makers Who Are Reinventing the American Dream in 2014, Inc.’s 35 Under 35 Coolest Entrepreneurs, and Fast Company's Most Creative People of 2013.

Sphero Acquisition

In August 2019,

Sphero Sphero, Inc. (formerly Orbotix) is an American consumer robotics and toy company based in Boulder, Colorado. Their first product, the Sphero, is a white spherical robot launched in December 2011 capable of rolling around under the control of a sm ...

completed acquisition of LittleBits for an undisclosed sum, giving Sphero a combined portfolio of over 140 patents in robotics, electronics, software, and the internet of things (IoT). Unfortunately since the acquisition, the web links included in all the original products to the original littlebits.cc website information no longer operate.

References

{{Reflist

External links

littleBits
Companies based in New York City Do it yourself Open-source hardware