Rescripting reality

TNQ InGage’s Vijay Karunakaran talks about the immersive world of Augumented Reality and Virtual Reality and the whole host of possibilities they have to present, ones that the world is just beginning to explore

CHENNAI:  Necessity is the mother of all inventions, it is said. But more often than not, we see many inventions serve their purpose way past the lifetime of the founder. Such is the foresight of scientists and inventors, without whom our lives would be far too different and in many cases, difficult.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are two such inventions that came to be in the previous century. Their uses, however, are only being realised now as mankind starts to tap into the vast pool of possibilities with technology. TNQ InGage is one firm that claims to be among the pioneers of AR/VR in India, providing immersive services to a plethora of reputed clientele. 

Founded in 2012, the firm has a great deal of work to carry out in the industry. Vijay Karunakaran, the firm’s founder and CEO reveals what it is to be a real player in the augmented/virtual world. Excerpts follow. Tell us about TNQ InGage’s journey. We strive to leverage the benefits of AR, VR and IoT (Internet of Things) to make a socially meaningful impact on the way people train, learn and work across industries. We develop immersive technology solutions using augmented and virtual reality for experiential training and education, product visualisation and prototyping.

Our endeavours began in 2012 when we sensed the need for a medium that could make a difference to its users. Early in 2019, we joined hands with TNQ Technologies. This partnership with the Chennai-based publishing technology company will help us in providing our customers with a more enriching and productive experience through our immersive technology portfolio at a global level. The partnership will drive focused effort in product R&D and scaling of the current service business at a global level.

Who are the clients onboard?
Initially, we extended our AR services to various companies like Reynolds, ITC, etc for branding campaigns. The response was good and encouraging as our customers achieved high engagement and reach by using this technology. Our services now include VR-based training, AR-based field services and digital experience centres. Our client base includes Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Saint-Gobain, among others.

What is the size of the AR/VR market in India and globally?
Industrial investments in AR/VR are exceeding expectations. It is envisaged to triple its size in the years to come. The global market of AR/VR was estimated at $18.4 billion in 2018, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 76 per cent and hit the 180 billion mark by 2022. The Indian AR/VR market is poised to grow significantly in the years to come, thanks to the increased adoption of AR and VR based products by various end-users including defence, retail, real estate, automotive, consumer electronics, media and entertainment, etc.  The government has been pushing towards digitalisation of every field. The market is gearing up for Industry 4.0 and with it, new technologies have found prominence.

How do you propose to contribute to the current trend?
Digitisation, which was a high-priced luxury a few years back, has now emerged as a necessity. While the current trend doesn’t portray widespread adoption, we can expect the same in the next two to five years. While digital sectors like IT and business process management have already adopted digitisation on a wide scale, the manufacturing sector has both the potential and need to embrace new technologies. We are now at the brink of an industrial revolution, and the prospects for 5G adoption look bright. This will help IoT gain traction at both consumer and enterprise levels. Through Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), we will soon experience a time where the objects in our environment can interact with both each other and humans, through networks supported by interfaces.You currently cater to manufacturing, construction and healthcare sectors.

Could you explain to us how you have changed things in these sectors?
The construction and manufacturing sectors are beginning to realise the benefits that could be rendered to their respective spheres, be it in terms of safety training, remote training, enhancement of productivity, cost-efficiency, among a host of other factors. Given these, we will see more companies in these sectors adopting the technology. In the manufacturing sector, for example, our training helps reduce risk and accelerate implementation during the laying of complex automated facilities, and benefits configuration, safety and workplace ergonomics. 

Explain to us your growth plans in the short- and long-term.
We intend to develop our own range of AR/VR products in the shorter course of time. In the long term, we are looking to penetrate the global market, which includes the world of book publishing. 

quite a record

•  Completed more than 500 projects
•  Served more than 250 customers
•  Created more than 50 million AR/VR experience views

training with AR/VR

•  Controlled and safe environment
•  Perfectly customisable for training scenarios
•  Can be used anywhere at any time
•  Gamification scenarios are engaging and ensure better learning
•  You can either be an active part in training situations, or you can remotely guide your staff and clients e.g. in maintenance scenario
   

genesis

“TNQ Technologies is a 21-year-old company that focuses on content technologies and products, with a strength of 2,500 employees in its ranks. They’ve joined hands with us on the firm belief that the future of content consumption lies in leveraging AR and VR environments and have made this investment with TNQ InGage as a part of their long-term strategy. This JV brings together InGage’s immersive

technology expertise and IP, and TNQ’s initial investment of $2 million and management expertise. The funding will be used to scale up delivery of immersive products and services and invest in product R&D,” said Vijay Karunakaran.