14 DAY TRIAL // There's a new game in town and this one is for the brainy of the bunch. It's called Quantum Cats and it's the creation of researchers at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing and Games Institute.
The researchers describe it as kind of, sort of like Angry Birds and say they designed it to make it easier for regular folks to understand the intricacies of quantum science.
“This game is a great way for people to become familiar with concepts of quantum science,” specialist Tobi Day-Hamilton with the Institute for Quantum Computing said in a statement.
“We wanted to take science that people think is hard and make it fun. Working with the Games Institute, we were able to create something that exceeded our expectations,” he added.
So, how do you play this game?
The research team says the game comes down to rescuing kittens with the help of cats. In turn, these cats have their behavior governed by quantum terms: classical, superposition, tunneling and uncertainty. Players are supposed to use these cats and their respective quantum behaviors to open boxes and free kittens trapped inside them.
The four cats that players can pick and choose from are called Classy, Schrö, Digger and Fuzzy. The research team describes Classy as a cat just like all the other that people like to keep as pets. Her behavior is predictable, which in science talk means she follows the laws of Newton and Galileo.
Then there's Schrö, as in Schrödinger's cat, which can be in multiple states at the same time, and so players can never tell for sure whether he's in a box or not. Digger is capable of accomplishing great feats even when he doesn't look like he's up for the challenge, and Fuzzy likes to keep to herself, so players never know what she's really up to.
Why bother to create such a game?
Let's be honest here, quantum science isn't something that people wake up one morning just dying to know. Not when Albert Einstein himself used to describe it and its effects as “spooky.”
All the same, the University of Waterloo scientists behind Quantum Cats point out that, whether we like it or not, the fact of the matter is that it is taking hold of our lives. Hence, we might as well try and learn something about it.
“Quantum technologies are emerging from research labs around the world faster and faster. From highly secure communications to ultra-sensitive devices to powerful quantum computers, these technologies promise to transform how we live, work and play,” the researchers say.
Quantum Cats is now available for download from the Google Play app store. The scientists promise they'll soon also make it available in iTunes and Blackberry World.
