Magic numbers
Wizarding fans can learn to code with ingenious new Harry Potter wand
THERE are few things that can spark a child’s imagination quite like Harry Potter.
Now, London-based technology start-up Kano has partnered with Warner Brothers to harness the magical potential of the fictional world to teach young people how to code.
It has developed a £99 Harry Potter wand filled with electronics that connects with Kano’s app to direct children through dozens of different challenges set in locations such as Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest. The wand features a gyroscope to measure orientation and an accelerometer to measure speed. Together, they allow it to be tracked in 3D space so children can cast “spells” using different lines of code.
The code links actions with wand movements. For instance, in one challenge, lifting the wand causes owls to appear.
Alex Klein, Kano’s chief executive, said that his company’s partnership with Warner Brothers came about after Kano released a similar motion controller device in US stores including Walmart and Best Buy.
Kano has worked with Warner Brothers, as well as Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s literary agency The Blair Partnership, to develop the wand kit, Mr Klein said.
The Harry Potter coding kit is part of a series of products that aim to teach children the fundamental skills behind coding.
However, Mr Klein believes it is important coding products remain fun and not too similar to schoolwork. Kano gives children a “sense of democratic control” over technology, Mr Klein said.