National applied research and development (R&D) agency, MIMOS, has announced the formation of a consortium aimed at spurring innovation in the area of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technology and product design for industries in Malaysia.
The four members of the consortium, named Rekacipta Consortium, are Virtareal Sdn Bhd, which specialises in Augmented Reality platform development; Map2U Sdn Bhd, a consulting firm in Geographic Information System technologies; SysArmy Sdn Bhd, a cybersecurity solutions service provider; and MIMOS, which leads the consortium.
The four organisations bring to the consortium vast experience and resources in their respective fields, which is expected to lead to more effective services and increased market penetration through the sharing of ideas, insights and technological know-how.
The consortium will serve as a go-between on behalf of industry, for instance in communicating the industry’s strategic direction to the research community in academia.
The establishment of the consortium is set to see an increase in the adoption of AR/VR technologies into various industries in Malaysia such as R&D, smart manufacturing, asset management, tourism and education, among other critical sectors.
The consortium is also expected to contribute to the development of a new talent pool with the right competencies in the said fields, in tangent with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
MIMOS Chief Technology Officer Thillai Raj Ramanathan said the setting up of Rekacipta Consortium would foster strategic collaborations between innovative organisations in the AR/VR ecosystem to meet industry needs.
“As the country’s driver of 4IR, MIMOS is very much committed to lead the consortium in accelerating the growth of AR/VR, which is one of the nine technology pillars of this industrial revolution.
“The consortium is envisioned as the premier consortium in advancing AR/VR technology solutions to further strengthen the various industries in the country. The members will work together as a team, integrating different expertises towards providing innovative and customised solutions to cater to digital-age clients’ needs.
“We will develop the AR/VR design community in Malaysia by creating new business opportunities toward a self-sustainable AR/VR design industry as well as producing new talent pool in the related field,” said Ramanathan.
The consortium is expected to attract more players from industry and academia to take advantage of the economies of scale in new business ventures, particularly in the Electrical and Electronics (E&E) supply chain in Malaysia.
