Tanmay Bakshi, 12, spent his summer learning from IBM developers, and teaching them, too

A LinkedIn profile for a Brampton app developer boasts expertise in several programming languages.

One might consider that impressiveand increasingly important in today's evolving work landscape. But even more so because the profile belongs to a 12-year-old.

Tanmay Bakshi is not your average pre-teen. He built an app aimed at helpingchildrenlearn multiplication, at an age he too would be familiarizing himself witharithmetic. After three rejections, Apple's App Store accepted "tTables" in February 2013.He was nine at the time.

"I just love coding.I have fun while doing this. It's just like a sport for me." And he is largely self-taught.

But Bakshi'sinterest in coding dates further back to senior kindergarten.

"I would always watch my dad programming.How acomputercould do something like add numbers or display something on the screen; that would always fascinate me," he said.

"At five years oldthat was like magic."

His father,Puneet Bakshi, recognized that curiosity andbegan to nurture it. It started with showing thekindergartnerhow a computer could display his name.

"I could see the light in his eyes," he said."By [age] nine,he knew more of programming than I did."

"It is amazing. I have seen him progress. He's unstoppable."

The father and son grew closer over learning to code.

"The bond between him and me is, in fact, the programming," said the elder Bakshi,a self-described "old-time programmer." He is now learningSwift, Apple's programming language, fromTanmay.

Tanmay's summer project

At IBM's tech hub Bluemix Garage at Yonge and Dundas streets, Tanmay Bakshi is poring over code. DeveloperAnkita Kulkarniis trying to steer the 12-year-old through aglitchwith the application heis building in a training program with IBM.

"These sorts of things come pretty often in programming," Bakshi said. "You just have to keep trying until it works."

He is more than pleased to explain what he's been doing every Friday for the last six weeks.

"Essentially, I'mdeveloping an IoT (Internet of Things)device that can help you get into a secure area in a much simpler way," he said. He gestures enthusiastically withevery word.

"Instead of you having to badge in or put in your password or fingerprint on a mobile device, all you need to do is scan your face."

The guts of the device include a raspberry pi a credit card-sized computera motion sensor andan eight-megapixel camera, Bakshi said.

The sensor detects a person's arrival, the camera captures an image, which is then sent to IBM Watson's visual recognition service, he said. After it analyzes the photographand determines a match, a phone number for the individual is retrieved from an online database.

The individual will then receive an eight-digit code in a text message, which they need to text back in order to confirm their identity and enter the building.

Pre-teen programmer Tanmay Bakshi

8 years ago

Duration 0:50

Tanmay Bakshi describes his project with IBM.

"It's a much more convenient method and it's not compromising on any security,"Bakshi said.

John Marini, who oversaw the boy'straining at IBM, said staffwere floored by his knowledge.

"When he sets his mind to something, there isn't much that keeps him from getting to his goal."

"I think he's provided us with a glimpse into what the future holds with the generation that has grown up with technology."

'Coding is my passion'

Tanmay's father tries to pry the boyaway from the computer, reminding him to take a break.

"He tries to go to programming like a magnet," said the elder Bakshi.

"Coding is my passion. That's why I never, sort of, get off the computer," the 12-year-old said.