Dr. Sepideh (Sepi) Chakaveh, Course Director of the Advanced Diploma in IT Systems Analysis and Design at the Department for Continuing Education (Oxford Lifelong Learning) and CEO of Pixsellar Ltd., has played a crucial role in supporting an extraordinary Atlantic rowing mission. Her innovative software, PixselChat, enabled clear communication between a team of injured British and Ukrainian servicemen as they set off to row 3,000 miles from Gran Canaria to Barbados.
Led by former Royal Marine Lee Spencer, the mission, known as Row4Ukraine, was to highlight the human cost of the war in Ukraine while raising funds for Ukrainian service personnel rehabilitation. The team included Andy Merry from the UK, who has multiple sclerosis, and Ukrainians Pavlo Bilous and Ivan Gavrylko.
From the beginning, communication posed a significant challenge for the crew, as the British and Ukrainian members did not share a common language. This is where Dr. Chakaveh’s innovative PixselChat had a transformative impact. PixselChat is a real-time translation tool that works for hundreds of languages and requires internet connection for functionality. To support the Row4Ukraine team, Dr Chakaveh and her team developed a bespoke version of PixselChat that functions entirely offline and completely on the device. This was essential to the remote Atlantic crossing and is the first ever real-time translation tool to be able to function without internet connection.
Dr. Chakaveh expressed her joy in supporting the Row4Ukraine team: ‘I believe this collaboration highlights not only the impact of technological innovation but also the value of aligning such tools with meaningful causes.’
Before setting off, former Royal Marine, Lee Spencer said, ‘There [will] be times when we need to communicate quickly and safely, to avoid danger – and times when your emotions will build up. Not being able to communicate how you feel, any perceived grievances, will lead to a deterioration in team spirit. Team spirit is what’s going to get us across, so being able to communicate is incredibly important. [Now] we’ll be able to communicate quite complicated instructions to each other. That just would not be possible without PixselChat.’
The Row4Ukraine team had hoped to row to Barbados in six weeks. However, not long into the mission, the team unfortunately experienced serious steering problems with the boat and were stranded in open sea. Thanks to PixselChat, the team were able to communicate with each other to identify the problem quickly and call for rescue. The mission is currently on hold whilst further analysis of the problems encountered are undertaken.
Through PixselChat, Dr. Chakaveh and her team at Pixsellar are not only developing communication but also embodying the spirit of research and innovation.
