Interactivity value: Get ready for a landmark holographic experience

Developers say interactive element makes their creation stand out from <br /> other products.

LAHORE: Advertising technology in Pakistan is about to incorporate third dimension. A team of young electrical engineers is set to unveil a three-dimensional holographic installation providing an interactive experience.

Started as a final year engineering project in 2013, the endeavour has finally resulted in a product.

The developers, who have been working on the product since September 2013, claim that the interactive element makes their creation stand out from other products currently on offer.

“We had been working on the idea while we were studying. What we really wanted was to offer an experience in holographic technology that has never been witnessed before,” says 23-year-old Shahzeb Mirza, one of the co-founders of Magision – the company that has created the product.

The idea, Mirza says, has not been explored in Pakistan.

“We believe things should be interactive to enable the consumer to engage with the product,” he said.

For Mirza and his team, offering an experience of seeing things in thin air while they are not physically present was not enough.

“Not only does our product offer a 360-degree vision of a product, it also provides interactivity.”

The holographic installation is controlled through motion of viewers’ hands detected through sensors.

“The data from these sensors is translated into movements on the hologram. That is where our magic comes into play,” says Mirza.

The product required eight months to be ready for the commercial market. The developers have not committed to creating their own venture instead of pursuing higher studies or seeking other employment.

The team members who had graduated in June 2013 from the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, managed to set up their own company later in that year.

The team has participated in several business and start up competitions, including the Punjab Information and Technology Board’s Plan 9 start-up competition.

The incubation cycle will end in December 2014. The team members are receiving monthly stipends, office space and mentoring from field experts. The product has been selected a presentation at for this year’s Start-up Istanbul, which will take place in the end of September. More than 100 start-ups from across the world will participate.

The company is currently focusing on introducing the product in the advertising market in Pakistan. The developers say possible applications of the technology include uses in architecture and education sectors.

“The possibilities are numerous. For now we are targeting the advertising industry as our primary client,” said Mirza.

In terms of cost, Rs1.5 million to Rs10 million, the real challenge is the software and not the hardware.

The team claim that this is cheaper than other forms of advertising.

The 22-year-old co-founder, Salman Sikandar, says the product offers value for money.

“The advertising industry in Pakistan rarely uses other than conventional techniques” he said. “Our study has shown that the country is hungry for entertainment and responds well to innovative techniques.”

“‘We [hope to] see our product being used in schools, universities and museums,” he said.

A date has yet to be set for unveiling the product. The developers say they will unveil it when the right opportunity comes along.

Mirza says it is most likely to be launched for advertising at shopping centres and in automotive industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2014.