At the start of the year Kano revealed that it was working on a Star Wars-themed coding kit. The company, known for its Raspberry Pi computers has developed Star Wars The Force Coding Kit.
The kit is a bluetooth-enabled motion sensor including a circular case, printed circuit board with nine LEDs, and two tops that contain Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire iconography.
When assembled, it can be used to control lightsabers, Porgs and other Star Wars paraphernalia in a companion app that’s compatible with Windows 10 PCs, Macs, iPads and Amazon Fire HD 10 tablets.
If you want to force push a Tie Fighter, though, you’ll need to assemble some code first. Like previous Kano products, the bulk of your time will be spent tweaking puzzle-like programming pieces inside the app. These blocks dictate what is shown on screen and, more importantly, how they react to your hand movements in the real world. One challenge, for instance, might teach you how to wield a lightsaber, while another shows you how to raise an X-wing like Luke did in The Empire Strikes Back.
Once you’ve completed a lesson, you’ll be free to tweak the project or create a new one from scratch. Custom projects can be shared on Star Wars Kano World, a simple but functional social network that lets you view, download and rework other people’s creations. The company has also promised to support the kit with additional challenges post-launch.
Kano’s Star Wars The Force Coding Kit will launch on October 4th for $79.99/£79.99.
