TOYCATHON 2021: Innovations Revamping the Toy Industry
Toycathon was a one-of-its-kind initiative that marked a step forward towards making India a global hub for the toy industry.
It aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and aimed to push forward India’s innovations and ideas out in the global market.
It was also an opportunity for students, teachers and start-ups to innovate, design and conceptualize toys which compliment the cultural ethos of India, with special focus on toys for Divyanga children, and toys which are environment friendly. This initiative was able to fulfill its purpose of obtaining local solutions on the challenges and problems faced by the countrymen catering to the Prime Minister’s appeal of going ‘Vocal for local toys’.
Which brings us to Toycathon 2021.
‘Toycathon 2021’ received around 17,770 innovative ideas from all over the country; a perfect blend of cultural diversity and national unity.
From the wide array of entries, here are the interesting games presented by the finalists:
The students of SKCET Coimbatore brought together the concepts of Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop the game ‘Heritage Race’. This game virtually transports the users and offers them a view of various tourist and heritage destinations in the country. This is coupled with the aspect of physical fitness by giving users a virtual cycling experience at the monuments while they are pedalling a cycle at their real physical location.
Team Eyecognito, another one of the finalists, developed Aura.AI – Artificial Intelligence-based device that helps yoga practitioners improve their physical posture by rating them on the scale of 1-100. It is equipped with voice feedback assistance, a leadership board to record progress and features to activate a serene virtual environment for yoga practise. It is also enabled with a user-friendly kids-mode to attract young children to practise yoga. This game gives a modern twist to ancient Indian yoga by using artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Team Makersclan, from the start-up Srijamyham innovation, developed the game CheMystery. This educational board game aims to introduce young kids to the concepts of chemistry. Players will need different elements throughout the board game and in the process will learn the properties and the real world applicability of these elements. This game also offers various arenas of critical thinking in the field of chemistry for the players. This board game attempts to equip young children with the correct knowledge base to develop interest in science.
A team of students from CMR College of Engineering, Hyderabad have developed the game Kreedavyuh. This innovative board game aims to combine and teach concepts of modern and vedic maths. They have equipped the board game with braille and other assisting features for the visually handicapped players. It is linked with an assisting app which can be used by the visually challenged players to ask questions in Hindi and English. The students based this game on ancient Indian mythological characters with their main inspiration being the reverse strategy of ‘Chakravyuh’ which was designed by Dronacharya for the famous battle of Mahabharata.
Bagh Chaal is believed to be an ancient Indian game which originated in the south of Himalayas. This game has been redefined by a team of students from Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad. Their new board game consists of 4 elements – the board, cards, tiger and goat tokens and the question booklet. This game aims to widen the mathematical knowledge of the players. There are 5 sets of questions, based on mathematical topics, that the players have to answer before their turn.
Team Svians from Anand Swaroop Arya Saraswati Vidya Mandir school, Roorkee developed a board game based on trigonometry called ‘Konkeeda’. This game has 3 elements- the board, 3 dice and 6 pawns- which are made from biodegradable material and are eco-friendly in nature. The players have to pass various levels and answer numerous questions based on topics of trigonometry, geometry and mathematical formulas. The purpose of this game is to help the players explore their interest in mathematical concepts.
Aarogya, developed by the start-up Silovo innovations, is a board game which is based on Ayurveda and its teachings. The game equips the players with some age and money. Through various interesting features of the game, the player has to increase his age, health and efficiency. The game assists in providing knowledge and information about how to tackle different ailments and about the applicability of Ayurveda in keeping people happy and healthy in real life.
Toycathon 2021 achieved its feat of exploring India’s potential of talented individuals who will contribute to the journey of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Mygov would like to offer the heartiest congratulations to all the finalists who have presented their innovative ideas and taken India a step forward towards establishing a flourishing toy industry. This active participation by people all over the country is a positive indicator of the growth that is going to follow in the coming years.
Total Comments - 0