A DIY computer kit that's a fun, accessible computer science teacher

In the United States, computer science literacy is low considering how important computers have become in so many aspects of life and across numerous industries. A recent push saw one organization introduce millions of U.S. students to computer programming, who then wrote hundreds of millions of lines of code.

But a new product aims to teach kids (and adults) the basics of building their own computer and coding.

Kano is a build-your-own mini-computer kit, like the Erector Set of the digital age, that uses Raspberry Pi, a small, cheap complete computer built on a single circuit board. Once the computer is built, Kano has its own operating system, built on Debian Linux, that allows users to hack games like Pong and Minecraft and, more importantly, explore and create.

As Kano co-founder Alex Klein told TechCrunch earlier this year: "The initial idea was let’s create a simple, fun, step-by-step computer kit that anyone can use to bring a computer to life and start hacking up games, and start really feeling that sense of possibility… rather than intimidation."

But before it reaches the masses, the Kano took to Kickstarter: