By Bader Asalwa
Ever since childhood, I have been fascinated with 3-D technologies and even taught myself to program them. This passion led me to pursue university studies that focused on graphics technology and software development. I have since been immersed in personally programming the core of multimedia elements rather than simply enjoying the ease of user-friendly tools developed by others. My interest in 3-D technologies, particularly since 2014, has led me in an organic way to augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) technologies.
In 2020, I founded Immesense for Interactive Solutions and have been lucky to be able to work with large enterprises in the local and global markets, such as Jawwal, Paltel, Padico Holding, and Dar Lusail, to name a few. I have helped these companies solve critical problems and entertain their customers using AR/VR, designing and developing several AR/AR platforms and applications in various sectors that include real estate, virtual events and exhibitions, virtual showrooms, retail, banking, tourism, and education. COVID-19 presented me with an opportunity to offer virtual and augmented reality solutions that require deep marketing research, where I work jointly with the teams of these companies.
By no means can I claim to be an expert, as the market of this technology is changing rapidly, and I’m always hungry to learn, try new things, and think about technology alternatives. Hence, I have many pilot projects that are in the semi-final stage of conversion into real applications. At the same time, I like to educate, increase the general awareness of AR and VR technology, and develop an ecosystem for it. I have presented workshops and led training sessions at different levels on these topics for more than 300 people in the education and private sectors during this journey. I also teach at universities, presenting many workshops to my colleagues in 3-D animation, game development, motion graphics, and more. It has been very interesting to deliver complicated and purely technical information to beginners or even nontechnical people.
My career progression has evolved due to the support of the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to be the trainer of the first Advanced AR/VR Training in Palestine through Tech Park in 2017. Since 2018, my membership in Fikra – Paltel Group Innovation Hub has provided me with a coworking space and pilot projects with Jawwal and Paltel as well as workshop opportunities. This enabled me to export my knowledge and train people from various countries at a workshop in Amman, Jordan, in 2018 through a British institution that at the time was engaged for the first time in Jordan. Such exposure has brought me initial recognition by many local and global companies and institutions. The ecosystem has developed networking opportunities and consequently has developed market trust in me and my skills.
My training experience in Amman, Jordan, in 2022 opened up new partnership opportunities, and I will soon start a new company with brilliant partners. The company will specialize in AR/VR technology in Jordan and provide development, consultancy, and training services in Jordan and the wider Middle East. Indeed, I hope it will open doors for us worldwide.
