NUST students create a platform that virtually showcases NamDeb’s mining process

Imagine simply putting on some glasses, walking through the entire diamond mining journey, from extraction to processing, and experiencing these precious gems like never before - in just a few minutes?

Well, this is what a team of Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) students have made possible, after 30-hours of an intensive hackathon.

The Virtual Reality (VR)/Augmented Reality (AR) hackathon was held recently on the NUST campus, and it was an initiative of the Namdeb Diamond Corporation, in partnership with the University’s High-Tech Transfer Plaza Select (HTTPS), and MTC. The event was aimed at developing an interactive design and development platform that virtually showcases the complete diamond mining process.

The students from the Faculty of Computing and Informatics demonstrated their knowledge of innovative software solutions that unlock technology's potential in combining of Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, the mining industry and mobile applications.

Ms Pauline Thomas, Head Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Impact, NamDeb, commended the students for developing the advanced virtual reality experience, which was for the first time at the Mining Expo in Windhoek. The hackathon also served as opportunity for participants to network and get hands-on experience with VR/AR design and development.

“Tech giants such as Microsoft, Meta and Google are building technological tools that will enable interaction in the virtual worlds. Also, other companies such as Nvidia and numerous start-ups – are building infrastructure to mimic the physical world by combining VR and AR. What this means is that VR/AR skills will be highly in demand in the coming years as the race for the metaverse continues,” said Dr Colin Stanley, the NUST Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Partnerships.

“Co-creation activities such as hackathons do not only provide an opportunity for participants to learn and improve their skills but practical illustrations of industry, academia and community co-creating solutions together,” added Dr Lameck Amugongo, a Computer Science Lecturer at the University.