Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Jon Li, CEO and Founder of Vizzio Technologies talks to Enterprise IT News about the use of Artificial Intelligence for 3D capture and virtualisation.
EITN: What is Vizzio’s flagship solution?
Jon: 3D capture and virtualisation – it has been around for a while, but the technology is complex, clunky, expensive and fragmented. To date, even the simplest of 3D models could take hours of meticulous manual input and computer modelling to render, but may still end up as low-resolution. Our aim at Vizzio is to unite the ecosystem, end-to-end, and make 3D capture and virtualisation simple, quick, cost-effective and yield high-resolution results.
Leveraging our proprietary AI platform to automate and compute the entire process of 3D content creation, we are able to vastly reduce complexities, time and costs while delivering higher-quality results. VIZZIO’s patent protected “satellite 3D mapping” ability is making it easier to create ultra-realistic virtual spaces for those real-world purposes.
Our deep learning algorithms pre-process satellite imagery and other sources of geospatial data and create 3D models out of flat images, combining real-time ray-tracing and advanced graphics rendering engine to create a photorealistic 3-D world.
Leveraging our proprietary AI platform to automate and compute the entire process of 3D content creation, we are able to vastly reduce complexities, time and costs while delivering higher-quality results. VIZZIO’s patent protected “satellite 3D mapping” ability is making it easier to create ultra-realistic virtual spaces for those real-world purposes.
Most importantly, the 3D city models we created are dimensionally accurate, most updated and recent, and incredibly robust. We are able to create dimensionally accurate, interactive 3D models of objects, indoor spaces, cities and humans using AI, and to deliver this faster than the norm now.
EITN: Can you share what is the current reception towards 3D right now?
Jon: While 3D technology has evolved in recent years, applications of the technology have typically been reserved for the elite who can afford the expertise. This is why we have identified the need to democratise 3D for businesses and governments.
I am heartened to see more companies seeing the value of leverage 3D solutions. For instance, we have a three-year partnership with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to launch a new Centre of Excellence – the Universal Omniverse Experience Centre – at ITE College Central. The Centre, which will leverage next-generation technologies including AI-powered Geo-Spatial, 3D virtualisation and Digital Twin solutions, will deliver training programs to students and adult learners.
Our focus will be on training ITE students, ITE students, ITE lecturers and adult learners in 3D modelling and visualisation including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Building Information Modelling (BIM), Unreal Game Engine and Mixed and Virtual Reality (MR/VR).
We also worked with Surbana Jurong, where VIZZIO undertook the digital modelling of Temasek Polytechnic’s 30-hectare campus. The project, which is one of Singapore’s largest comprehensive surveys on Building Information Modelling, includes mapping out the entire campus including landscape, linkways and 49 buildings on site. With 5G becoming more prevalent, it will become increasingly easy for consumers and businesses to access and create 3D content.
EITN: What are the top features of 3D which is democratised? How will you bring down the cost of using 3D?
Jon: In a world where 3D becomes part of the everyday, we believe it’s important to empower all users – from novices to digital experts – with easy access to 3D capture and virtualization. We’ve therefore made it our mission to build the world’s largest 3D ecosystem in a bid to democratize and simplify the 3D world, enabling everyone to co-create, virtualise and interact with digital realities on demand. For small to large businesses, the commercial possibilities are endless.
For end-users, this means that you can easily wield the power of 3D with any smart device. For businesses, this would mean that any of your employees can easily use this tool, thereby saving time and cost in training.
We use AI to create 3D content, to digital twin objects, spaces, cities to humans. The conventional workflow of having to learn 3D software and requiring expensive and large numbers of manual 3D modellers to create accurate 3D models will become a thing of the past.
EITN: What is the role Vizzio can play in realising Singapore’s smart city ambitions?
Jon: According to a recent report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Co, Singapore’s Internet economy is expected to reach US$27 billion in 2025. As our reliance on the digital world continues to grow, we’ll increasingly see the blend between the physical and the digital world, with consumers driving the demand to interact with virtual assets and experiences.
Companies in Singapore are relooking at their physical assets and how they can transfer activities into the virtual world and prepare their business for virtual reality with 3D interactive and virtual experiences of their products and cities. 3D capture technology is currently being used in smart city and urban planning, to test efficiencies and optimisations, improve management of resources and build cities of tomorrow.
This also includes developing predictive models that can analyse environmental changes such as coastal modelling, or even managing sea traffic in ports. This is where VIZZIO hopes to play a part in – as the de facto provider and content creator for all things 3D.
We have created Singapore’s largest digital twin in a record 2 months, an interactive model of Singapore with AI-modelling, and an integrated real-time 2D and 3D views of IoTs, CCTVs, heatmaps, BIG DATA analytics and geo-referenced data.
VIZZIO’s ultimate mission is to democratise and simplify 3D by building the world’s largest 3D capture and virtualisation ecosystem for all users – from novices to digital experts. That’s of course a huge ambition – but with over 40 patents to our name and counting, we believe we’re in a strong position to create a holistic offering and are continually innovating to bridge the gaps.
We have created Singapore’s largest digital twin in a record 2 months, an interactive model of Singapore with AI-modelling, and an integrated real-time 2D and 3D views of IoTs, CCTVs, heatmaps, BIG DATA analytics and geo-referenced data.
Even the simplest 3D models could take hours of meticulous manual input and computer modelling to render, but may still end up as low definition. For example, the Virtual Singapore project that Singapore embarked on back in 2014 took several months to complete just the modelling of an area e.g. Ang Mo Kio. And because of this, the ecosystem is highly fragmented as organisations focus and hone in on specialisations.
This will be launched in the middle of March 2022. This is a powerful multi-service, omni-channel platform to deliver critical insights to improve security and surveillance, facilities management and maintenance for sectors like energy, traffic, telecommunications, urban planning, smart cities, and many more.
EITN: Can you share some real life examples of AI-powered 3D solutions in e-commerce and various industries right now?
Jon: AI-powered 3D solutions are already in use across various industries. It will introduce new platforms and marketplaces to enable industries such as real estate, retail and healthcare to create new content and undertake transactions as well as allow people to interact with each other.
Governments are using 3D modelling or digital twins for urban planning. Digital twins, which are virtual models created to accurately reflect an existing physical object, can create real-time, high-resolution 3D renderings, and also run simulations to enhance productivity and reduce man hours. \Digital twin technology is also very crucial to security and surveillance, and urban planning.
Architects can also use 3D models of new buildings in their plans. For example, they can place the building in an area to find out how it fits in, or how to position it so that it gets the best sunlight. Previously they would have to write special software and use supercomputing power to do this.
Property companies can use the technology for estate management and maintenance. Perhaps, AI-powered 3D solutions are the most prominently used in retail and e-commerce. Retail companies can use 3D modelling to highlight to consumers the new products and those on promotion.
As more people shop online, technology innovations are needed to replicate the offline customer experience of being able to examine products up close online, and AI has thus far been able to help retailers engage their customers online.
EITN: What are the challenges and gaps that need to be filled that you observe right now?
Jon: Before we can fully reap the benefits of this virtual reality, there are a few challenges that need to be addressed in 3D capturing and Digital Twin technologies that make up the foundation of the metaverse. The current industry 3D capture process relies heavily on manually stitching 3D data points and employing expensive tools such as drones.
Even the simplest 3D models could take hours of meticulous manual input and computer modelling to render, but may still end up as low definition. For example, the Virtual Singapore project that Singapore embarked on back in 2014 took several months to complete just the modelling of an area e.g. Ang Mo Kio. And because of this, the ecosystem is highly fragmented as organisations focus and hone in on specialisations.
Vizzio identified this gap years ago and we have built the technology and IP to be the de-facto digital content creator for the metaverse. Currently, with our proprietary AI platform, we are able to clone objects, buildings, cities and humans and create dimensionally accurate, Hyper-Photorealistic, and hi-res 3D content.
And we’re not stopping there. We’re aiming to set up the world’s largest database of 3D objects and search capabilities. Like how you’d think of Google for information searching; Amazon for e-commerce; Microsoft for work productivity; we want to be the de facto platform and provider for all things 3D.
