From the heart of Tamil Nadu to the global stage of World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, Team Apex Achievers from Dharmapuri is making numbers fun again. The team of youngsters has developed BODMAS Quest—a handheld, gamified learning device designed to help students master one of the trickiest parts of elementary mathematics: the BODMAS rule.

Presented as part of the prestigious Innovate2Educate Handheld Device Design Challenge, hosted by the Indian Digital Gaming Society, BODMAS Quest is more than just a maths tool, it’s a learning revolution.

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BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction) often poses challenges to young learners, slowing their confidence and progress in mathematics. BODMAS Quest changes that by transforming learning into an immersive, reward-based journey.

BODMAS Quest comes loaded with features including a touchscreen and tactile buttons for intuitive interaction, real-time audio and LED feedback for instant reinforcement, level-based gameplay to build confidence and challenge problem-solving skills, a portable and rechargeable design — ideal for schools and homes, and planned features like Bluetooth multiplayer mode and Wi-Fi leaderboards for collaborative and competitive learning.

“Maths doesn’t have to be a source of anxiety. With BODMAS Quest, we’re showing that learning maths can be a game—literally,” said the Apex Achievers team.

Ensuring the device is inclusive, the developers have ensured that it is low-cost and accessible, and can be used in offline mode too.

“This challenge taught us how to blend engineering with empathy. Every decision—from the user interface to the audio cues—was made with a child’s learning experience in mind,” the team shared. “The journey helped us grow as engineers, as collaborators, and as contributors to a larger mission of education reform.”

Featuring under the same challenge is Maha-Shastra, developed by the Indian Digital Gaming Society (IDGS). Maha-Shastra is an innovative educational ecosystem designed to reshape the learning experience for students aged 5 to 18. Developed under the Innovate2Educate programme, Maha-Shastra integrates cutting-edge AI, gamified simulations, and adaptive learning methods into one seamless, accessible solution.

According to the creators, Maha-Shastra is more than just an educational tool. “It’s a revolution in learning. Built for inclusivity and scalability, the platform combines quizzes, real-time simulations, AI-powered tutoring, and multilingual support to meet the diverse needs of learners across India and beyond. Its core is a handheld AI-powered device that engages students through interactive games, adaptive quizzes, and offline collaboration using LoRa-based meshtastic networks ideal for low-connectivity regions,” said a spokesperson from IDGS.

“With Maha-Shastra, we are putting the future of learning directly into students’ hands — quite literally. By merging intelligent systems with gamified content, we’re not only making education more engaging but also significantly more effective,” he added.

Maha-Shastra features AI tutoring and feedback, gamified concept learning, multilingual accessibility, smart IoT integration, offline collaboration, and stimulation app with 99.99% Uptime.