Paracosm

Develops the PX-80: the world’s first fully colorized, handheld 3D-mapping system

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Paracosm develops the PX-80: the world’s first fully colorized, handheld 3D-mapping system. The PX-80 is used by professionals worldwide to create 3D-maps of their environment, ranging from construction sites here in the US to forests in Japan, and all the way to underground mining operations in Bulgaria.

 

Amir Rubin graduated UF’s computer engineering program in 2003 and helped start several other tech  companies in Gainesville, including Prioria Robotics and Shadow Health (both UF research spin-offs).

In 2013, Amir co-founded Paracosm, along with Ian Taylor and several other engineers, with a vision to “3D-ify” the world. By 3D-ifying—that is, capturing and digitizing reality—Paracosm hoped to enable a new generation of software and robots to understand and interact with the physical world.

 

The Paracosm team, who call themselves the “Parakeets,” raised $3.5 million of venture capital and began working closely on Google’s Project Tango (an Android smartphone with 3D-sensing capabilities), as well as with iRobot (who was an early investor) and the Roomba team to map people’s homes. Interestingly, every time the Paracosm team presented these early results, construction and engineering companies would call asking if the tech could be applied on job sites.

 

In 2016, Amir decided to pivot the company to develop a new product specifically designed to 3D-map construction sites and industrial facilities. Coincidentally, around this time a new 3D-sensing technology called “LiDAR” began emerging for use in the self-driving car industry. LiDAR uses lasers to sense distance and objects, useful for self-driving cars to avoid accidents and collisions.

Paracosm’s engineers recognized the power and versatility of LiDAR as a 3D-mapping sensor, and began work on a handheld 3D-mapping system built around this technology. After several years of R&D, Paracosm launched the PX-80—the world’s first colorized handheld LiDAR mapping system.

 

The PX-80 is now used by land surveyors, facility managers, construction site supervisors, and geospatial professionals in over 15 countries.

In 2017, Occipital Inc., an industry-leading spatial computing and 3D-sensing startup, acquired Paracosm. Occipital’s offices are in Boulder, Colorado, and San Francisco, but Paracosm continues operations in Gainesville. Paracosm regularly collaborates with UF students and professors across the colleges of engineering, building construction, and geomatics. Customers who come visit Paracosm enjoy the springs and natural beauty of the area. Gainesville has proven to be a wonderful home for Paracosm and the Parakeets, and we are proud to be here!

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