Ahead of MWC, Samsung has launched the official BBC micro:bit app for Android that will connect the micro:bit to smartphones and tablets, allowing young people to code their micro:bit on the go whether they are in the playground, on the school bus or at home with the whole family.

The BBC micro:bit, which will be delivered free to all year 7 or equivalent students this year, is a small programmable hardware device that aims to transform a new generation from passive users of technology to creators and innovators in today’s digital world. Samsung is a key partner in making this free drop of 1 million devices possible in the BBC’s most ambitious education initiative in thirty years.

Samsung will be demonstrating the micro:bit app at MWC. Developed by Samsung’s R&D team as a volunteering project, the app with its unique set of features will allow young people to learn how to code to control their phones and tablets via the BBC micro:bit. For example they can build their own selfie remote controller, launching their phone camera by pressing a button on their micro:bit, or even build their very own security alarm using the micro:bit’s sensors. The possibilities for creative applications are endless as young people can develop useful and fun technology solutions for themselves and their peer group inside and outside of the classroom.

By connecting the BBC micro:bit to smartphones and tablets, which young people are already very comfortable with, the app will introduce them to “connected technology” and the Internet of Things. This is important as coding becomes an integral skill in today’s job market, where code is not only at the heart of technology but also at the heart of products, for example, household appliances in the connected home.

Teachers have already begun to receive their devices which come with teaching resources, off-timetable STEM activity days and hands-on projects that complement the science, maths, design & technology (D&T) and computing curriculums. Samsung has also developed free resources and projects for both teachers and parents to use the app with their children. Samsung BBC micro:bit projects include ‘micro:bit hide and seek’, ‘Get out of my room’, a fun project to build your own security camera, and the ‘hi-tech selfie’. These projects are hosted on http://www.samsung.com/uk/microbit.

The BBC micro:bit is part of the BBC’s wider Make it Digital initiative, and has been made possible by a partnership between the BBC and over 30 partners. The project aims to improve digital literacy in the UK in light of alarming statistics, such as 1.4 million digital professionals will be needed in the next 5 years, and to inspire a new generation of digital pioneers.

Aleyne Johnson, Head of Government Relations and Citizenship, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said: “We’re very proud to bring the micro:bit to life in partnership with the BBC and officially launch the app at this year’s MWC. The combination of the micro:bit with the app will be a powerful learning tool for young people, inspiring them not only to use technology but to develop fun applications for themselves and their friends. As digital skills such as coding are increasingly important for all industries, we hope that the micro:bit will give year 7s a head start by putting them in the driving seat as developers.”

Sinead Rocks, Head of BBC Learning said: “We want children to be able to programme the BBC micro:bit from any device they want, wherever they want, whenever a moment of inspiration hits them. Pupils and teachers have told us they’d love to be able to code on the go, and we can’t wait to see the ingenious ways they’ll get creative with the app. It also means they can start controlling their handheld devices directly through the micro:bit, which is a hugely important part of understanding how the technology works.”

The Samsung micro:bit app is free to download from Google Play here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsung.microbit.

Free micro:bit resources for teachers, parents and young people can be found here: http://www.samsung.com/uk/microbit.

Rohit Ail (left) explaining the remote-selfie feature at BBC launching event in July 2015.

In November, the Samsung CSR Awards announced Rohit Ail, Principal Engineer of Samsung Electronics R&D Institute in the UK, as a winner for his leadership and development of micro:bit. Volunteering his talent, Ail has been vital in providing expertise for micro:bit in efforts to promote the future of coding.

In close collaboration with the BBC, which reaches 98 percent of the UK population, micro:bit is a pocket-size, code-able computer that has been developed and is being distributed to one million children in the UK, free of charge. The vision is to inspire digital creativity and develop a new generation of tech pioneers. Each element of micro:bit is completely programmable via easy-to-use software on a dedicated website (microbit.co.uk) that can be accessed via PC, tablet or mobile.

Created in direct response to the growing digital divide and emerging ICT skills gap in the UK, micro:bit would not have been possible without Ail’s enthusiasm, passion and technological expertise. Ail recruited a team of seven engineers to volunteer, who have contributed over 1,000 hours of time. His team developed functions to enable a user to control their smartphones and tablets via coding on micro:bit and vice versa. Coding on micro:bit can launch mobile device cameras remotely, or act as a remote control to play music on devices.

“It only took an email explaining the whole project and our role in it to spark the enthusiasm and commitment of these seven engineers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Anton Obzhirov, Tommaso Maestri, Mythri Venugopal, Frederic Ma, Kupesan Kulendiran, Nigel Cardozo and Balbir Sanghera for their contributions and support in this project. We also had wonderful support from my colleagues, Kit Lam, Soohyun Park and Minje Sung at every stage of this project,” said Ail of the team behind micro:bit. The application was built and shaped by the seven team members from scratch, entirely on their own.

The functions of micro:bit will help children understand the concept of IoT and develop their own projects in the future. Ail and the volunteer team also helped in developing teaching resources for use at schools and at home with parents. The project has been championed by UK government ministers leading the digital economy agenda and endorsed by key educational organizations and celebrity ambassadors.

Bridging the Digital Divide in the UK

Why is micro:bit so important? The UK is estimated to require an additional 745,000 digitally skilled workers by 2017, and one million tech workers by 2020. However, a large percentage of the population isn’t online and many students don’t have access to internet. The digital divide and the skills gap is a serious social issue in the UK.

Ail said, “We have a responsibility to inspire the next generation of computer programmers. Wearables, the Internet of Things and ubiquitous computing demand faster, smaller and better connected computers. The BBC micro:bit is just that answer. What also makes it so important is that it will be rolled out to all schools in the UK, and this is a fantastic opportunity to shape the future.”

When asked why he believes it is important for young people to learn coding, Ail responded by saying, “Look around. What do you see? I see a world of electronics; a digital age. We are surrounded by gadgets, computers and electronic services. The skill to harness the true capability of this digital world that we live in is a must. Learning to code will give our young generation a key tool to live in the future world. From what I believe, computing and coding is inevitable for our future generations. Being prepared will only help them.”

Connecting the World through Mobile

“Samsung has always been an expert in connecting the world through the power of mobile. We have done exactly the same with micro:bit. With the coding application, we have empowered kids to program on-the-go. They need not be in the classroom anymore for coding. They can take the experience with them anywhere they go.

“Further, we have also given micro:bit its first companion in the real world. Our application is able to communicate with micro:bit and allow it to control a few functions of the phone remotely.

“When we asked kids how they will use their micro:bit, we got some very interesting answers. All of them were designed around their simple needs and activities, like, ‘feed my pet, attach it to my shoes and count whenever I kick a football, take a photograph when we jump,’ etc. We couldn’t help but conclude that this is THE IoT device for kids.”

Ail recalled his own experiences with coding while growing up. “As a kid, I was always interested in knowing the internals of any toys. I used to open up all my toys and try to refit them later. I used to play with LEDs and AA batteries, making all sort of small gadgets of my own.

“I had my first computer when I was in eighth grade. Actually, it was for my elder sister but I was far too fascinated by the digital world and soon I was doing programs and installs that she was learning. Ever since, I have been learning and coding.”

Better Tomorrow

Ail has always wanted to support his community, using his skills and experience to do so. “I have in the past, applied for voluntary work in our local councils but never got the chance to execute it fully, due to time limitations and family commitments. With the BBC micro:bit, I have found the opportunity to give back to society. The micro:bit is all about inspiring the young generation to code, something which I had never thought of giving back to society on my own, although this is my core expertise. I believe this project has actually given me an opportunity to give back using my strongest skill, in a beautiful way. I can never be thankful enough.

“I think each one of us has a responsibility to the society that we live in. In our busy lives, we often tend to shift that responsibility towards government or other institutes. I am not asking everyone to go for compulsory volunteer work, but please keep an eye for opportunity. When it knocks on your door, give it your best.”

The BBC unveiled on Tuesday its revolutionary new micro:bit, a small, programmable hardware device that will help young students learn to code, and in the process transform a new generation of passive consumers of technology to creators and innovators in the digital world. A million of these free pocket-sized, code-able computers will be distributed for free.

Samsung Electronics is a key partner in the development of the micro:bit, which is aimed to be a springboard for young children to further learning products. The product is the result of a three-year research and development collaboration between the BBC, Samsung and more than 20 other partners. Samsung’s major role was developing the functionality of the micro:bit to be able to connect to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

The unveiling of this extremely ambitious and unique educational campaign took place at BBC Broadcasting House in London. This collaboration between the national broadcaster and private companies is the first of its kind, a signal of how special this endeavor is. It provides a great example of the public and private sectors coming together to make a significant contribution to education. The devices will be distributed to Year 7 students all over the United Kingdom starting in September, in packaging with the Samsung logo. Samsung engineers who worked on the development of the micro:bit were on hand to provide a demonstration during the event.

Tony Hall, the Director General of the BBC, said, “The BBC micro:bit will inspire a new generation in a defining moment for digital creativity here in the UK. All you need is your curiosity, creativity and imagination – we’ll provide the tools. This has the power to be transformative for the UK. The BBC is one of the few organizations in the world that could convene something on this scale, with such an unprecedented partnership at its core.”

Andy Griffiths, President of Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, was in attendance and explained the significance of the product. “At Samsung, we’re very excited to bring the micro:bit to life with the BBC. Our engineers are enabling the micro:bit to communicate with everyday digital devices such as phones and tablets to allow young people to code inside and outside of the classroom. It’s a great way to showcase the capabilities of this technology and we’re looking forward to seeing how creative people can get with coding, whether that’s programming their micro:bit to take a ‘selfie’ via their phone camera or coding it to flash when they get an incoming call, the possibilities are limitless,” said Griffiths.

Samsung is building an app to support coding-on-the-go, which will allow children to create fun projects in the classroom, on the bus, at home or anywhere else. The app will be launched on Google Play this fall. Samsung also plans to help introduce the Internet of Things and the future of connected technologies to the classroom by supporting teacher resources and student projects.

To watch a video on what the micro:bit can do, please visit:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02whktx