A hardware prototyping workshop using the micro:bit was held from December 20 to 21, 2024. The micro:bit, an educational microcontroller developed by the BBC, has been increasingly adopted in Japanese schools alongside the introduction of mandatory programming education. This workshop, organized by IIS Lab, aimed to identify difficulties faced by beginners in hardware prototyping with high-modularity toolkits.

Fifteen participants, all beginners in programming and electronics, learned the basics of programming and micro:bit usage through tutorials and lectures. They were then divided into five teams to design devices addressing everyday problems. The workshop culminated in team presentations and demonstrations of their creations.

For example, one team tackled the issue of accumulating dirty dishes by developing a device that uses intense light and sound to encourage dishwashing. Another team addressed oversleeping by creating a device that disrupts attempts to fall back asleep with bright light and noise.

This workshop offered participants a valuable opportunity to experience the engineering process—from identifying problems and brainstorming solutions to prototyping with the micro:bit and sharing their work—while discovering the joy of engineering.

Text: Taiyo Ito (Undergraduate students)・Kazuhiro Shinoda (Doctoral Student)
English proofreading: David Buist (Project Senior Specialist)