I don’t know if computer science is taught at Hogwarts, but if so, the Raspberry Pi definitely plays an important role. Tired of casting spells at the push of a button, this project from also “yes” The wand and Raspberry Pi Zero W from the Harry Potter Coding Kit are used as gesture controllers for the recently released Hogwarts Legacy game.
i_used_a_rpi_zero_w_and_a_kano_wand_to_cast from r/raspberry_pi
Mo’s project is great. Sure, you can mash buttons to cast spells, but gesture controllers add a little more authenticity to the action. The wand itself is an officially licensed Harry Potter wand from Kano. The name Kano sounds familiar because of his original orange keyboard and an early kit that integrated his original Raspberry Pi hardware, bundled with many computer science-based projects. Wands are meant to be used as a way to learn to code, but Mo’s project uses them for more fun.
The project is built using Python modules. gamma games, which handles scanning the wand and capturing gestures over a Bluetooth connection. Mo’s project uses this module to capture gestures, convert them to key presses, and send them to a PC running Hogwarts Legacy. By cleverly turning the Raspberry Pi Zero W (you can also use the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W) into a USB HID device, key presses are sent to the PC. Here Mo promotes the project from a simple controller to a real wand. The Harry Potter community has carefully curated the moves required to cast each spell. Mo incorporates these movements as gestures, and must adapt his swish to use “Lumos”, “Wingardium Leviosa”, or “Avada Kedavra” if he’s ready for a while in Azkaban.
Credit to Mo for this fun project. More than just a USB HID device, it’s a piece of magic for those who want to immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter.
Go to Mo’s GitHub repository Learn how to enroll in your next Computing Science class at Hogwarts.
