Photo: Kano
Assembling the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit won’t be as complicated as Kano’s original Computer Kit, which should make the interactive wand a more accessible teaching tool for younger kids. You simply insert a small computer into the base of a plastic wand, and instead of phoenix feathers or unicorn hairs, a combination of electronic sensors—including an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer—translate the wand’s real-world movements to an accompanying app that’s available for mobile devices and computers.
As with other programmable STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) electronic toys on the market, the wand’s accompanying Harry Potter-themed app is designed to ease kids into programming concepts using a graphical interface where instructions are assembled and nested like virtual building blocks. Programs range from something as simple as using the wand to make a virtual feather float, to more complicated creations that trigger sound effects and explosions based on how the wand is being rotated and waved around.
Photo: Kano
When kids get comfortable with the graphical coding interface, or find they’re simply outgrowing it, the wand’s app can also reveal the underlying editable javascript code that powers each program. That means the wand has the potential to become more than just a toy for your kids. Adults already familiar with j-script could expand its functionality to use it as an interactive remote for smart lights and appliances, making its $100 price tag, when it’s available starting on October 1, more appealing to parents, tinkerers, and all us muggles who want to turn the lights off with a flick of the wrist.
[Kano]