Local start-up LookSee.Do has developed visual communication technology that operates over low-quality Internet connections.
The technology, which can operate over an EDGE connection, offers video, virtual reality and augmented reality communication, and is designed for use by mechanical and engineering experts in remotely instructing less qualified workers in the maintenance and repair of advanced machinery.
"It's a bit of a waste to wait for broadband before we start implementing these technologies," says LookSee.Do founder Dean Hodgskiss. "LookSee.Do's process is to say, 'let's overcome these barriers so we can achieve high-tech solutions'."
At present, when a complex piece of machinery needs to be repaired and there is nobody in the region with the know-how to do so, an expert must be flown in at tremendous cost, Hodgskiss explains.
While workers on the ground can be trained in such procedures, often they struggle to apply what they have learnt without hands-on guidance, Hodgskiss adds.
LookSee.Do's technology can not only save tremendous amounts of time and money by eliminating the need to bring in experts from far away, it can also provide workers with the hands-on and expert training they need, when they need it, says Hodgskiss.
Historically, people in SA tend to look to what they see as "developed economies" in the US, Europe and Asia as leaders of technological innovation, Hodgskiss continues. The general resolve where online communication technologies like Skype are concerned is to wait until SA's Internet infrastructure can support these technologies, he points out. Often, the rollout of better Internet takes longer than projected, and remote or rural areas continue to suffer poor connection, he says.
Even when transmitted over an EDGE connection, LookSee.Do's technology offers "surprisingly good" video optimisation, and virtual and augmented reality clarity comparable with what can be achieved over a high-quality Internet connection, Hodgskiss says.
Hodgskiss adds the technology can also be particularly useful in areas plagued by violent conflict or contagious disease, as infrastructure can suffer due to experts being unwilling to travel there.
LookSee.Do is performing proof-of-concept tests for companies interested in using the technology, and is seeking more potential adopters.
The company is an 18-month-old start-up whose main players are Hodgskiss, who has over a decade's experience in the high-tech medical equipment industry; self-taught technology "head geek" Dylan Holshausen; and video effects artist Christopher Behrens.
"What brings us together is a vision to make a difference in developing countries using technology," says Hodgskiss.
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