“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” the sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke once wrote. Making that link even more explicit is a new Harry Potter Coding Kit, which just went on sale via the Apple online store and Apple retail stores.
Aimed at teaching the basics of coding, the $99.99 kit lets kids build their very own interaction swart wand. Once constructed, they can then use its gestural recognition tech to complete 99 different coding challenges on an app.
The wand can be used to carry out tasks, such as setting off fireworks, conjuring butterbeers, making a feather float, or much more.
“Our goal is to demystify technology,” Alex Klein, co-founder and CEO of manufacturer Kano, said in a statement. “Just as using computers became mainstream a generation ago, understanding and coding them is becoming so now. The rich gestural technology of our coding wand and iconic Wizarding World moments combine in the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit.”
It’s a pretty nifty concept, and one that’s likely to find fans within Apple — which has been very proactive in encouraging young people to code. The other thing I really like about the concept is how inclusive it is. There have been a few coding kits for young people based on topics like building and coding a robot. That’s great, too, but perhaps unlikely to have the kind of broad appeal of this product.
Source: Kano
