Bearables Bear Kit

by Pimoroni

A complete Bearables Bear Kit with coloured LED badge, motion sensor, thread, needles, and battery.  Sewable, hackable, wearable, adorable!

Bearables is a range of woodland-themed wearable LED badges and sensors. Wear the badges on their own, or connect them to one of the sensors with conductive thread to bring them to life. Designed for kids* (suggested age 8+) and grown-up kids alike!

Attach the acorn motion sensor to the Bear badge and when you move the sensor your badge's LEDs will light up.

In their five star review, The MagPi said that Bearables were "excellent value for money" and that "the badge kit has everything you need to sew your interactive badge and sensor to clothes".

*Contains small parts. Not suitable for children 3 years or younger. This is not a toy. Keep battery out of reach of children. If ingested, seek medical help immediately.

Kit contains

  • Bear badge with 12 LEDs (multi-coloured)
  • Acorn motion sensor
  • 3m stainless steel conductive thread
  • 3 sewing needles
  • CR2032 3V coin cell battery
  • 2x sticker sheets
  • Instructions
  • Reusable box

Features

  • 12 coloured LEDs (blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink)
  • 12 light patterns
  • Multi-functional button (mode change, sleep, trigger mode)
  • PIC16F1503 microcontroller
  • Sewable hooks
  • Tilt switch motion sensor
  • Battery life of 3-4 days with a CR2032 coin cell battery

Using your Bearables badge

Press the multi-functional button on your badge briefly to cycle through the light patterns. Each of the LEDs will light to indicate which of the 12 patterns is currently selected. Press and hold the button to put your badge into sleep mode.

The nifty design of the badges and sensors means that it's super-simple to connect them. It doesn't matter which way round they're connected. Just connect one hook on the badge to one hook on the sensor with conductive thread, then do the same with the other two hooks.

Once a sensor is connected, press and hold the multi-functional button to put your badge into trigger mode. Now when you trigger the sensor, the LED lights on your badge will light up.

Notes

  • Bearables badges and sensors are not waterproof or washable
  • Be aware that conductive thread is sharp!
  • Ensure that the two pieces of conductive thread connecting your Bearables badge and sensor do not touch, bearing (pun intended) in mind that they may touch when the fabric is creased or folded. Nothing bad will happen, the sensor just won't work as it should.
  • The hooks on the back can be shorted without any damage to the badge, although it may trigger the LEDs similar to triggering them with a sensor. A painted or coated safety pin will work better than a bare metal one.
  • A dab of clear nail varnish on the conductive thread around the hook can help to give a better, more reliable connection
  • Badge dimensions: 41x35x5mm (LxWxH)
  • Sensor dimensions: 25x18x4mm (LxWxH)

18 customer reviews

2 years ago
Arrived promptly,love the packaging, only problem is that I will have to now order another one as my partner wants one too! Kids love them though
by James about Bearables Bear Kit via REVIEWS.io
3 years ago
My nephew is too young to use it by himself but he can at least look at it.
by Anonymous about Bearables Bear Kit via REVIEWS.io
4 years ago
Great gift! My friends daughter (8) loved it! Sewing was pretty straight forward and worked the first time we tried it.
by Anonym about Bearables Bear Kit via REVIEWS.io
5 years ago
My kids loved this kit and are now asking when we'll be buying the other kits in the series.
by Ben about Bearables Bear Kit via REVIEWS.io
6 years ago
A great little kit that is fairly simple to set up, although my 7yo girl had trouble stitching (and making it tight). Also, need to think what its going to be attached to, as the stitching will largely be permanent, and the kit is not washable! Rather than use a coat or jacket that will be washed (eventually), we settled on a little purse my little one takes out for adventures with toys inside. Perfect.
by Sean about Bearables Bear Kit via REVIEWS.io
6 years ago
This product is fine but you need to sew it to something that you won't wash! Of course you could sew it to a bag or something else material but it can't be rained upon. Hence I give it average rather than the typical Very Good... It's fun to make but I think there are limitations here, I wonder what it would take to make a more robust project (since this kit probably costs more than the t-shirt you sew it to).
by A about Bearables Bear Kit via REVIEWS.io
6 years ago
Excellent and fun piece of kit. Shipping was fast. I stitched the badge to my bag. Instructions were clear and even ham handed guy like me got the job done!
by Jaakko about Bearables Bear Kit via REVIEWS.io