One of the perks of being behind the curve is that, with the right solutions, you can leapfrog said curve entirely. BRCK’s Kio Kit is precisely that sort of solution. It’s a digital classroom in a hardy, water resistant and lockable travel case. It’s designed in Kenya with Africa’s unique challenges kept in mind from concept to final product, and that’s what makes it Stuff’s education gadget of the year for 2015.
What are those challenges? Unreliable power and iffy internet connectivity, for starters. Which is why the Kio Kit can be charged from a single plug, lasts eight hours on a single charge, includes a a BRCK+Pi micro server (the rugged Wi-Fi router we’ve raved about before) for connectivity by fixed-line or mobile data network, and can be carted from one classroom or school to another with ease in its rugged, water resistant, lockable case.
The backbone of each Kio Kit is the 40 Android-powered tablet computers and accompanying pairs of kid-friendly headphones it includes. The Kio tablets charge wirelessly using the QI standard — meaning there are no charging cables to wear out or lose — and are built to survive the odd drop or spill, because you can’t expect excited children not to rough house with them from time to time.
Weighing in at 40 kilograms and stocked with 40 tablets and 40 pairs of headphones, the Kio Kit has a special affinity for the number 40. As it happens, 40 is an octagonal, composite and pentagonal pyramidal number. It’s also the atomic number of zirconium. Incidentally, 40 is also the highest number ever counted to on Sesame Street, but the Kio Kit makes that look like, well, child’s play.
Each Kio Kit costs $5,000 and makes a great CSI investment for any company that recognises the value of ensuring children are digitally adept from as early in their education as possible. To find out more visit the BRCK Education website.
