“I saw movies where astronauts go on a space expedition for months together and I started thinking about the problems they might face there. I also thought what if my father was sent on such an expedition and what if I was separated from him for a long time. The one thing that I would have missed the most in such a case would be playing games with him. So we thought of working on a game where two people can play even if one was in space,” said 12-year-old Armaan Shaikh, a student of Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu. Armaan and his friend Ayush Shah (13) have created a sensor-based game of tic-tac-toe (commonly known as X and O), a major highlight at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) Techfest 2015. “Astronauts feel lonely in the space and this could be one of the ways in which they can connect with their families. There are sensors in both the sets, which replicate the moves, enabling two people to play even if they are at a distance,” said Ayush. The Class VII standard student also came across a letter by NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger, in which he had mentioned his experiences and also how he missed his family when he went on an expedition. The students, who started working on this project in October, have named the game XOXO (internet slang for hugs and kisses). “This is our way of sending hugs and kisses to astronauts up there,” Ayush added. This is also not the first time that the tech-savvy students have worked on an innovative project. While Armaan has worked on creating a robot that can aid the elderly in case of emergencies, Ayush has tried a hand at creating a robot that can help people suffering from dyslexia learn English and a robot that can alert people in case of an earthquake. “We spend maximum time in working on such projects. We want to send the preliminary model to space agencies, so that they can use satellite communication for the game,” said Armaan. The technological extravaganza at the 550-acre campus in Powai saw a footfall of more than 50,000 students on Saturday. From a multitude of robots to solar-powered cars, every nook and corner of the campus had something to offer. IIT-B’s lecture series included a talk by eminent lyricist Javed Akhtar who spoke on women empowerment. Other speakers included Bjarne Stroustup, inventor of C++, the most used computer language, and Vint Cerf, who is recognised as “one of the fathers of internet.” tanushree.venkatraman@expressindia.com
