New York start-up Nearabl, maker of augmented reality indoor navigation technology, has adopted the Bentley iTwin platform to expand infrastructure deployments.

Nearabl’s partnership with Pennsylvania-based Bentley Systems sees the infrastructure engineering software company expand the use of its technology within the global infrastructure, construction and design industries.

Infrastructure projects, beginning at the construction stage, can now edit work orders based on iTwin data and visualise that content on-site via Nearabl’s augmented-reality iOS mobile application as digital signage. Additionally, Nearabl’s indoor navigation technology integration enables iTwin users to achieve real-time occupancy monitoring of their infrastructure, supporting overall digital twin AI.

“We are thrilled to announce this partnership,” said Arber Ruci, CEO of Nearabl. “It is a gigantic step towards establishing our imprint on the infrastructure market. As an academic spin-out, integrating with Bentley’s open-source digital-twin technology was a no-brainer for many reasons. Where we found the most value was in familiarity and ease of use for our end users. We launched as a mobile-first application to great initial early reviews of our mobile visualisation but soon enough we realised that our end users were much more comfortable editing and changing Nearabl mobile content on an iTwin desktop web interface. We quickly integrated the process and have been deploying it in some cool places.”

Sheena Gaynes, a director at Bentley Systems, added: “Nearabl joins the growing ecosystem of software developers enabling digital twins with the Bentley iTwin platform. Nearabl is a great example of how BIM and augmented reality can be combined and visualised in a mobile app to improve the safety and productivity of construction teams.”

When combined with digital twin technology, Nearabl’s indoor navigation accuracy and augmented reality visualisation lays the groundwork for a built-world metaverse, creating the potential for significant innovation in the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure around the world.

Nearabl is a wayfinding and navigation tool that allows users to view accurate digital indoor maps and signage, record new paths and points of interest, and expand access to physical experiences. Easy to use, affordable and customisable, the technology has been deployed to serve diverse audiences, including, construction site managers, digital tourists, people with low vision and metaverse enthusiasts.

Nearabl’s technology is the work of 25 researchers in robotics, computer vision and mixed reality. Born out of a university-backed research centre, Nearabl has leveraged New York’s innovation ecosystem to accelerate its growth and continuously enhance its technology.

Originally created to serve the navigation and wayfinding needs of individuals with blindness or low vision, Nearabl was built in pursuit of a mission to create a metaverse of accessibility. The start-up digitises physical experiences in buildings and cities by adding a layer of 3D images and sounds.

The Bentley iTwin platform is an open, scalable cloud platform that enables development teams to build applications that create, visualise and analyse digital twins of infrastructure assets. Applications built on the platform let users incorporate engineering data created by design tools into a living digital twin, aligning it with reality modelling and other associated data without disrupting current tools or processes.

The platform also enables the visualisation and tracking of all changes, including changes in real-world conditions from drones and IoT-connected sensors. The platform facilitates the provision of actionable insights for decision-makers across the complete asset lifecycle.