Naledi3d spreads its wings
After a few noteworthy early breakthroughs,
the Naledi3d Factory, one of the first start-up companies in
The Innovation Hub, is spreading its wings to foreign shores.
Entering the European market with its
high-tech product the communication of knowledge and ideas
through interactive visualisation - has always been part of
the Naledi3d business plan, according to CEO Dave Lockwood,
who recently returned from visits to Sweden and Paris. In
addition to strong leads on new contracts, the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding with a Swedish partner is on the
cards.
"Surviving the critical first two years in
business is in itself a reason to celebrate. We could not have
wished for better acknowledgement of the progress we have made
than entry into the European market," says Lockwood, who also
paid tribute to the support provided by The Innovation Hub.
Training and skills development is one of the
focus areas at Naledi3d, especially with a view to empower
people form previously disadvantaged backgrounds. The visual
nature of real-time virtual reality (VR) and its inherent
interactivity provides an exceptional medium to transfer
skills and knowledge to people with literacy disadvantages.
According to Lockwood, the more conventional
application areas include specialist, tailor-made modeling and
simulations in the architectural and construction arenas, as
well as interactive content to support e-commerce marketing
and sales.
In Sweden, discussions were held with
representatives of Dutch, German, British and Swedish
companies who develop and sell similar products. Lockwood
mooted the concept of the Naledi3d Factory developing 3D
content in South Africa for their clients - "at half the price
they would be paying for the same development expertise in
Europe".
"We have already produced three successful
models for TweenSense, a Dutch company. The latest comprised a
visual representation of proposed housing upgrade projects in
the Netherlands. Our "3D Plan Communicator" concept is
designed to produce low-cost visualisations of new
developments, which allows the user to fly over or walk around
the existing, as well as the proposed, architectural solution.
This allows us to streamline a communication process with
clients. We are now ready to enter the European market,"
Lockwood believes.
Lockwood also attended a UNESCO workshop in
Paris. He was one of three technology experts invited as
advisors to explore ways of increasing access to education
through technology. The aim of the workshop was to identify
the most pressing teacher training needs and the best policy,
strategy and technology approaches to meet these needs in the
medium and long term. The other two experts were from the
Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and the Senior Vice
President of Worldspace in Washington.
The Naledi3d Factory has developed a strong
working relationship with UNESCO's Communication and
Information Sector over the last two years, as a result of the
UNESCO assignment to develop a VR 3D-model for the Nakaseke
Telecentre in Uganda. This model demonstrates basic hygiene
principles to rural communities. Subsequently, Naledi3d has
trained two Ugandan teachers in the development of VR models
to transfer these skills and enable the Ugandans to apply it
to other local education projects.
"Increased access to cutting-edge information
and communication technologies can have an enormous impact on
educational and learning opportunities in the developing
world. Naledi3d is ready to become pro-actively involved in
addressing this challenge," Lockwood said.
Two years of participation in the
pilot business incubator at The Innovation Hub and the
Naledi3d Factory is showing significant growth. Team
members Tebogo Pelo (left) and Dave Lockwood discussing
new European leads.
Naledi3d Factory contact details:
Dave
Lockwood
T +27 12 844 1010
F +27 12 844 0034
Cell +27
82 894 3178
Email dlockwood@naledi3d.com
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