Bengaluru Techno dreams

Imagine, Bengaluru City Railway Station like a Keanu Reeves’ Matrix maze. As you enter, the walls around you start moving and reacting to each of your moves. This is not a dream or an illusion, but a soon to be reality. The credit goes to a group of young Bengalurians.

These seven software developers who call themselves XXICO (21st Century Odyssey) are working on a new technology for the Indian Railways (IR). “We are working towards installing touch screens and multimedia glass panels through the entrance passages of stations. As passengers enter they will be confronted with virtual images and special effects, like in the movies,” says 28-year-old Ranjana Nair, founder and CEO. The idea is to provide a larger than life experience. “It can be anything from a ball bouncing towards you or SRK walking up to you and asking you to quit smoking,” says Nair. The last time these youngsters worked on something interesting was when they had to pitch for superstar Rajnikanth’s movie Endhiran’s marketing communication. “We didn’t win the pitch, but they liked our idea. Rajnikanth would walk up to the person and have an animated conversation adding to the virtual experience,” says Nair. And now the team is gearing up for their big project with the IR.

What keeps them motivated is the “what next?” challenge. “Youngsters who have i-phones have already experienced touch screen technology, but then we opted to make it mass based.

So the IR idea came about,” says Archana Viswanath, Creative Head at XXICO. It isn’t a distant dream for these techies, who plan to convert railway station passages and airport lounges into 3D SFX playgrounds. But the challenge lies in not just installing such massive glass panels but ensuring that it functions smoothly. “We are still in the process of testing and installing, but once it is done, it will be world class,” says Sanchi Poovaya, who is in-charge of the final implementation of these glass panels.

With just a month to go the team is eager to launch this project. But they are already working on their next project with KSRTC. So the next time you are travelling by the Indian Railways and happen to pass through the SFX passages, you know it is the Bengaluru’s XXICO that is behind the craziness.