A company founded and led by University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduates has picked up the award for Best VR Enterprise Solution of the Year at the International VR Awards 2023.

Graduates Mark Baxter and Charles Seguin, who struck up a friendship whilst studying Computer Games Development at UWS in 2012, are celebrating their company Digitalnauts’ success at the International VR Awards, which are designed to recognise outstanding achievement in virtual reality (VR) around the world.

Founded in 2016 by Mark and Charles, Digitalnauts make immersive technologies accessible to businesses by supporting and creating digital and virtual experiences for fast and secure deployment at scale. The company also has UWS graduates Nick Wilson (Creative Director) and Stewart Kelt (Senior Developer) as part of the award-winning team.

Mark Baxter, Digitalnauts Chief Technical Officer said: “We were delighted to win the VR Enterprise Solution of the Year award as it specifically rewards projects that satisfy the needs of an organisation rather than individual users.

“During the early days of VR, when it was still seen as a sci-fi gimmick rather than a tool for real business impact, we focused on creating bespoke training content. Not long after, we realised that the industry needs a much more sustainable solution embracing digital transformation for the future of work and learning.”

Chief Executive Officer at Digitalnauts Charles Seguin said: “It was a real honour to win the award and testament to the work we do at Digitalnauts and how far we have come since 2016.”

Studying at UWS was an instrumental chapter in our journey, fostering an environment where innovation thrived, and lifelong partnerships of outstanding talent were forged. Our small but passionate team, consisting of many UWS graduates, reflects the collaborative spirit and cutting-edge skills cultivated at the university.

Nick Wilson Creative Director Digitalnauts

The award-winning project was for the work Digitalnauts undertook for Openreach developing a virtual reality solution to enable Openreach’s employees and visitors from across different locations to meet and interact with models, files and presentations to further productivity while minimising travel costs.

As part of the project, the team also created a one-of-a-kind cable chamber VR experience for Openreach, that allows visitors to safely interact with the environment and learn about cable chambers while working together on a simulation task focused on teamwork.

“All the characterising elements of a cable chamber are included in the virtual environment: the dark enclosed space and the water flowing while working on repairs underground, commented Creative Director Nick Wilson.

“Within the experience, users can also visualise Openreach’s network in action, with cables displaying the flow of signal (e.g. the internet) “moving” through the cables. We can even simulate a flood and users must work together as a team to solve the issue and stop the flooding within the cable vault. To make it extra challenging and a better learning opportunity, we added the ability to turn all the lights off and work in complete darkness.”

Find out more about the award-winning project here: www.digitalnauts.co.uk/bt-openreach-innovation-hub-case-study/