Holograms created by Gqeberha youngster get mouths watering
● New tech device allows firms to showcase their products with 3D images
A mouthwatering beef burger with a dancing patty and a lively can of coke bouncing in life-size are just a couple of the holograms created by a Gqeberha tech business a year ago, and have now finally hit the market.
Nexgen Industry, the Fairview business behind these hologram projectors, aims to market them to businesses seeking to showcase their products, be it footwear, fast food, and much more.
The hologram projectors are available in different sizes, ranging from small ones that you can carry as a backpack, to larger ones that are just over 2m high.
A hologram is a picture of any object, showing it in three dimensions, and Nexgen Industry is one of a handful of businesses in SA creating and selling such projectors.
The brainchild of 25-yearold Ridwaan Moodley, Nexgen Industry took flight two years ago with the support of his father, Shaun.
Inspired by the desire to embrace both the future and contemporary trends, Moodley came up with the hologram concept.
Shaun, a former proprietor of numerous Gqeberha-based nightclubs, immediately believed in his son’s vision.
And now the father and son are taking the tech industry by storm.
“We’ve been inundated with requests, so many people are interested,” Moodley said.
“We sell the hologram devices to businesses which in turn promote their products ... it’s something different and it stands out.”
Moodley said the devices came in different sizes.
“We have a small one which you can wear as a backpack, bigger sizes in between, and then the biggest one which shows the products in an almost life-size form.”
The young entrepreneur explained that their hologram projectors, complete with blades and a fan, worked by the blades spinning fast, with tiny lights on them.
“When the lights flash on and off rapidly, they create the illusion of a 3D image in the air,” he said.
“The designs are loaded onto the projector with the help of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and you have a remote to change the image on display.
“We can also showcase videos on them.
“It took us many sleepless nights to get these projectors up and running.
“We already have a handful of clients, which is great.”
Shaun said the idea was to create something that would entice the public.
“In supermarkets when you see an advertisement against a fridge or wall, we hardly take note of it, but if you see the product in a hologram I’m sure it will have all your attention,” the 59-year-old father of five said.
“I decided to go with Ridwaan’s idea as it was a solid and fresh business concept.
“I have sold all my nightclubs and thought ‘why not?’
“This is all his idea and I’m glad we can do it together.”
And for moral support, Moodley’s mother, Ferana, also joined the business.
“I’m just a helping hand, they completely run the show,” Ferana, 42, said.
“They are the two directors of the company, I am just here to help with the small things and to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
Ferana said she was proud of what the two men in her life had achieved.
“It’s heartwarming to see how they have pulled off something like this and I never doubted them, not even for a single second,” she said.
Shaun said Moodley had a bright future ahead of him.
“He is going places,” the proud father said.
“He has the right mindset and is on the cusp of something great.”
Moodley said they had also created grilling bags that were versatile and easy to use.
“You can put anything from steaks to popcorn to braai inside them,” he said.
“These bags are reusable, washable and dishwasher safe, making them convenient for multiple uses.”
He said the bags were made with advanced materials that were heat-resistant, preventing small pieces of food from falling through the grill and keeping the grill clean.
These bags are currently being used on the cooking show.