Akron Life May 2022

P OWE R SW I T C H b y A L E X ANDR A SOBC Z AK a n d p o r t r a i t b y TA L I A HODG E

For such small products, TinyCircuits sure has made a big impact . The Akron company’s palm-size open-source technologi cal products can be found in all sorts of places — middle school classrooms, university research labs and at promi nent companies like Samsung and Google. TinyCircuits’ do-it-yourself kits and programmable devices like the tiny arcade allow consumers to easily build and personalize tech. “One of the things we really like to do is expose people to technology in an easy-to-use way,” says TinyCircuits founder and president Ken Burns, adding that the products are open source, which means people can access and modify the products’ design files. “It’s kind of cool as an engineer to make something and then see somebody else take it, modify it and create something even cooler around it.” The company began as a one-man startup 10 years ago, with Burns designing small modular circuits that could be embedded in other products, as making them tiny stood out in a market that featured larger devices. Now the com pany has twice as much office space, is housed in Canal Place, offers its 12 full-time employees benefits and has companies like Lego using its Wireling Platform. A best-selling product is the TinyTV DIY Kit, which people can build then load with their own video content. It appeals to many, as it has been used by cat video lovers and fashion enthusiasts. “A lot of people use little screens as wearables, making jew elry and all sorts of cool stuff that I wouldn’t have thought of originally,” Burns says. The Thumby, another top device, is a tiny playable gam ing system, and TinyCircuits is in the process of producing

10,000 of them. It’s a keychain, so it’s easy to take with you and a fun alternative to checking your phone during down time. Although it’s a bit different than many TinyCircuits products because consumers don’t have to put it together themselves, they can program games on it. “You can learn to code on it,” Burns says. “You can teach kids how to program very simple little games.” Burns is working with schools throughout the country to develop this curriculum within STEM education programs, and 100 kids are currently participating in a pilot program. He is also partnering with Akron-area schools to create a seventh grade health curriculum that implements a device he describes as a cross between a Tamagotchi and a Fitbit, which has a character and helps kids engage with fitness tracking through features such as a pulse sensor. “You do activities in conjunction with the things you learned in class to take care of [it],” he says. Burns’ passion for education has spread throughout the company. “Getting into more education, it’s like, The possibilities are kind of endless, ” says TinyCircuits operations manager Lindsey Bucher. “I really see that in his spirit, and it’s inspiring.” As TinyCircuits continues to grow, so does its community. Many users reach back out and let the company know what they’ve created and built on their own with the devices. “From the nerd part of me building Legos as a kid and tin kering around with stuff, enabling other people to do that is really cool,” Burns says, “whether it’s a little kid or some older guy launching a rocket or making trains.” tinycircuits.com

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