Anyone who flies often knows this feeling. You are in a cramped cabin, have a long journey ahead and someone nearby is playing videos on full volume, unapologetic and uninterrupted. No headphones. No pause.
Just sound bouncing off metal walls, turning a flight into a test of patience. For most passengers, the frustration stays bottled up. Maybe a complaint whispered later. This time, the irritation spilled onto social media after a passenger described his flight on X.
A passenger watched reels on full volume throughout the journey without headphones. “This fat uncle watched reels on full volume through the flight yesterday. Usually I would tell someone like this to shut it down. But yesterday I decided to observe. None of the passengers in two rows around cared. The cabin crew who walked past multiple times and even did meal service didn’t bother telling him. In the middle of my adult life, I’m now asking myself – for my own mental peace, should I just accept that… Uncouth behaviour in public is normal. Garbage will be there everywhere Everyone is fighting everyone everywhere Nowhere is safe for women The air is toxic Drinking water is contaminated Have zero hope in the political system regardless of party in power,” he wrote.
This fat uncle watched reels on full volume through the flight yesterday.
Usually I would tell someone like this to shut it down. But yesterday I decided to observe.
None of the passengers in two rows around cared. The cabin crew who walked past multiple times and even did meal… https://t.co/iWC35uNnSq pic.twitter.com/dcNaaW9mW8
— Anand Sankar (@saybwala) January 15, 2026
For most people, it would have ended with irritation and a silent rant. For one Indian techie, it turned into another experiment. Pankaj Tanwar stepped in with a solution no one saw coming.
When Asking Nicely Doesn’t Work
Tanwar, known online as the person who created the AI helmet, shared that he was equally irritated and hence, he built something.
“I built a tiny app that plays back the same audio it hears, delayed by ~2 seconds. And it surprisingly WORKS,” he wrote.
asking nicely doesn’t work anymore. so i built a tiny app that plays back the same audio it hears, delayed by ~2 second.
and it surprisingly WORKS. https://t.co/VgaorC3iBQ
— Pankaj (@the2ndfloorguy) January 15, 2026
Tanwar later clarified that the idea wasn’t new. He had built it earlier. Many asked how soon they could use it.
The app, according to Tanwar, was created quickly with AI assistance and wasn’t even uploaded to GitHub at the time.
The Man Behind The Idea
For those online, Tanwar wasn’t new. He had already gone viral once. Earlier, he made headlines for converting his helmet into an AI-powered traffic policing device. The helmet could detect traffic violations, capture evidence, and report offenders in real time. The idea drew praise across social media.
More than that, it caught official attention.
Tanwar later revealed that he met the joint commissioner of Bengaluru Police and spent nearly two hours discussing the tech with senior officers. “They genuinely loved the idea,” he wrote, adding that police officials showed interest in exploring how his helmet could complement their city-wide AI surveillance network.
met the joint commissioner, blr today. spent ~2 hours in a detailed discussion with officers. pretty open, thoughtful and they genuinely loved the idea.
a few takeaways from the chat:
– direct integration with official astram apis
– snitching culture argument is baseless, goal… https://t.co/RmHpUA6YLg— Pankaj (@the2ndfloorguy) January 12, 2026
Not About Money, At Least Not Yet
Tanwar said the helmet project isn’t being treated as a revenue-first product. No incentives. No rush to monetise. He plans to build an early working version and refine the models for real-world use.
But he was clear about one thing. To scale, he will need grants or institutional backing.
For now, whether it’s traffic chaos or cabin noise, Tanwar seems focused on one thing. Fixing everyday problems people have learned to live with. And the internet is watching.
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