Our readers may remember Kano, a computer based on the Raspberry Pi that became one of the most popular educational projects on Kickstarter. Over time, Kano added a module for building a screen, and now it seeks to expand its horizons with three special modules that will allow us to build a pixel grid, a speaker, and a camera. Construction and programming go hand in hand in Kano, so there will be plenty to explore through code.
Bringing programming to classrooms remains one of the great challenges facing modern education systems. Technology completely surrounds the youngest, but very few take real control over it. The most effective method to stimulate the engineers of the future is to provide an adequate environment that allows them to explore, experiment, make mistakes and try again, and that is how we find initiatives at the level of Kano. The latest generation of this striking computer is based on the Raspberry Pi 3, although the truth is that no one is technically obliged to buy the official kit. After all, its operating system is open source and works on all generations of the Raspberry Pi. Even so, a detail that has always interested us about Kano is its modular profile. Students not only learn to program, but also to assemble the computer. Shortly after, its managers took the next step with a screen module, and now we discover three new options.
The Three New Modules
The first of them is a camera. Basically, inside we find a mini quad-core computer with four cores, accompanied by a five-megapixel sensor, a ring of LED lights that acts as a flash, a tripod, a battery lasting three hours, and a trigger sensor that enables taking photos or video when it detects movement.
The second option is the kit to build a pixel grid. The main hardware is the same, but it delivers a grid with 128 RGB LEDs, a microphone, and a tilt sensor that transmits commands by "tilting" the module.
The last element available is a speaker. In addition to supporting streaming via Bluetooth, it also has a traditional 3.5-millimeter connector (which greatly extends its compatibility), a "drumpad" that helps create music, and a gesture sensor that distorts audio according to programming.
Crowdfunding and Availability
Unsurprisingly, Kano decided to gather support again through crowdfunding, and its new Kickstarter campaign has already raised $135,000 on a total of $500,000. The three modules, regardless of their function, cost $99 each, or $249 if you buy all three at once. Let's not forget that the modules are also computers, which partially justifies their high price. Now, the campaign mentions three different delivery dates. The pixel grid will be distributed in March 2017, the camera in May, and the speaker in July of the same year.
