Hogwarts Gizmo Could Be A Magic Present For Xmas
As Christmas shopping season gets into full swing, anyone with a generous amount to splash out on an educational gizmo for a youngster might find the Harry Potter Coding Kit of interest.
Kano makes devices for learning about computers and coding.
They have hit the Christmas market by launching a Hogwarts-themed product designed to teach fans about electronics and programming.
In a nutshell, it is a self-assembly ‘magic wand’ which when waved in various ways ‘casts different spells’ on a smartphone or tablet loaded with the accompanying app. The wand consists of two plastic enclosures, a push button, a printed circuit board and batteries.
Naturally, it is the board that carries the real interest. This has three sensors, a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a magnetometer, sat alongside its power controller, Bluetooth connector, light and vibration motor.
The significance of each part is explained, providing an understanding of how it works, alongside instructions for a variety of ways of ‘waving the wand.’
The movements of the wand are tracked by the three sensors while the light comes on and the whole shebang vibrates.
Chunks of code to do various tasks can be put together as building blocks in the app to succeed at various challenges by waving the wand in the right way.
For instance, the simplest task is to make the light change colour.
Then the user is taken through a host of logical puzzles with help from the instruction until a final wave of puzzles must be solved using only what has previously been learnt.
It may be expensive at £99.99, but for what it is, early reviews suggest it represents good value.
