How the Tshwane University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment (FEBE) continues to invest in sustainable and commercial Research & Development into the future.
The high unemployment rate and global recession are urging an immediate need for Research and Development (R&D) on 4IR solutions that combat youth redundancy. Since 2019, the Gibela Research Chair (GRC) and TUT Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (FEBE) through the Virtual Lab initiative, have invested over R2 million in the purchase of Virtual-Reality (VR) hardware. The VR hardware is managed by the Rail Manufacturing Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (RMCERI) at the Institute of the Future of Work (IFOW) in Hatfield, Pretoria.
RMCERI continues to avail the hardware to students and entrepreneurs to promote the development of commercially viable businesses stemming from impactful research. The epitome of one such business is the X-Reality (XR) Lab which offers a wide range of products and services to Schools, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Property Developers and etc. This includes an interactive and gamified environment for training on the maintenance of a vehicle, dubbed “Virtual Motor Mechanics (VMM)”, entertaining and educational virtual experiences, 360 virtual tours and training on VR hardware installation and software development.
The XR Lab, currently a full-time team of 6 and 10+ virtual team of CAD Designers and Developers, is assisting students in the development of VR content and the dissemination of knowledge about the multiple realities. The startup plans to support more students, setup VR labs across different institutions and improve the livelihoods of people using impactful technology. Notably, its endeavors have been empowered by TUT and its rich network of partners including especially, RMCERI and IFOW who are incubating and accelerating the over 30+ startups towards the Fortune 500.