The rapid pace of digitalisation over the past decade has dramatically changed society. The fourth industrial revolution has introduced cutting-edge technologies like AI, Cloud Computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to the world. These technologies have disrupted and transformed entire industries from manufacturing to transportation. For the creators of Magicbit, the widespread use of technology means today’s youth must be familiar with their inner workings. Otherwise, Sri Lanka as a nation risks getting left behind as the rest of the world advances.
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Magicbit was a member of the 2020 cohort of the Spiralation accelerator programme. An initiative by the ICTA, the programme helps local startups succeed. Towards this vision, Spiralation supports startups by offering mentorship, market access opportunities, and even seed funding in some cases. The programme is currently accepting applications for its latest cohort. You can apply to join Spiralation by clicking here.
With this support from Spiralation, Magicbit is working towards realising its dream of helping the youth of Sri Lanka learn the inner workings of the technologies reshaping their lives.
The origins of Magicbit
Magicbit was initially an idea between Akalanka De Silva, Anuruddha Tennakooon, Migara Amithodana, and Sudath Fernando. It is an all-in-one platform that allows anyone to understand robotics, programming, and AI easily. With the platform in place, serving as a solid foundation, the startup has built a range of products. These products are designed to offer learnings spaces for STEM education with high-end hardware and software for a range of applications.
- MagicBit Pro – The all-in-one integrated circuit package with modular designs to create a ‘plug and play’ solution to any tech enthusiast. It also comes with multiple programming options to effortlessly link cloud and mobile platforms to its connected hardware.
- MagicBit Core – A device designed for students to learn the basics, the MagicBit Core comes with in-built sensors and wireless connectivity. Additionally, it also supports multiple programming languages.
- MagicBot – This simple line-following robot has been designed for users to experience the basics of robotics. The device can detect and avoid obstacles in its path. The MagicBot is controlled wirelessly via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
- Magicblocks.io – Magicblocks.io is a digital platform to help build IoT systems for beginners. This graphics-based interface makes development easy by providing flexible connectivity with Cloud & Edge hybrid computing. With the Magicblocks app, you can control the device and get notifications of the data they collect.
The Journey for MagicBit and the Team
As per the platform’s developers, the design of MagicBit’s world-class tech products in Sri Lanka has not been a walk in the park. Limited skills and resources found in the country for the technology contributed heavily to this challenge. As a result, pitching a Sri Lankan product in international competitions became more complex than the team anticipated.
Together with this, the development unit overcame the hurdle of providing free access to learning content during their early stages. They now stream simple videos and tutorials on their website and Youtube channels for anyone to learn. Moreover, the team has made the platform interoperable. This interoperability means MagicBit supports popular development platforms. A few of them being Arduino, Scratch, and Micropython. These tools already have numerous videos online for anyone to refer to and execute their innovation with the platform.
In the upcoming months, the Magicbit team plans to relaunch its website with more educational videos to benefit its users. Additionally, the developers expressed that they intend to start an international campaign to improve the reach of their integrated products. In doing so, MagicBit hopes to grant all Sri Lankans with an upper hand opportunity, bringing the basics of state-of-the-art technology to the fingertips of anyone looking to innovate in a redefined industrial environment.
