Kano, the company that specialises in awesome Rasberry Pi-based coding kits for children, is branching out with a new Harry Potter-themed offering that’s probably going to delight a lot of adults too.
The Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit features an actual wand that children can assemble and use to cast spells via an accompanying PC, Mac or mobile device.
Priced at $99/£99 and launching later this October, the Bluetooth-powered wand features an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer and will encourage young coders to create different lines that correspond with movements of the wand.
So, for example, a lift or a flick or a twist of the wand will cause the content t react on the connected device. There’ll be more than 70 step-by-step challenges at launch, which will include trips to Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts among other familiar locations.
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The ability to customise, embellish and create custom spells will also be an important part of the experience, as the coders become more familiar with the functionality. For example, the fire-conjuring ‘incendio’ spell can be boosted to create a longer flame trail or additional sparks, Engadget reports.
Users will see the instructions pop-up in bubbles on the left hand side of the display, while the right hand side of the screen shows the spell in progress. The wand, which has a built-in rumble pack for added emphasis, is super simple to assemble.
“The original purpose of Kano was to take these sealed devices and let people interact with them creatively and understand how they work,” Kano founder and CEO Alex Klein said. “Now we’re attempting to do the same with Hollywood. We’re taking these sealed narratives, and these universal characters, and letting people manipulate them creatively.”
Will you be snapping up a Harry Potter-style coding wand when they go on sale? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.