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qapture, a leading technology company from Linz, is supporting the sustainable modernization of Sparkasse Oberösterreich with its digital approach to urban mining. The Linz-based start-up uses advanced technology to create more sustainable and efficient construction projects.

Dominic Koll and Daniel Höller can call themselves serial founders. They are the founders of the Linz-based start-ups “qapture” and “cirqular” and scan different types of buildings from the inside out. In the next step, the recorded data is processed automatically using artificial intelligence and algorithms – creating a digital twin. In the interview, the two talk about their startup journey, their participation in the tech2b incubator and the Edison Award, which they won in the GreenTech category just this year.

It is the city of superlatives and the destination of many vacation trips: Dubai! However, the qapture team is currently traveling to the desert metropolis for work reasons. A special assignment is calling: they are scanning all the details of a shopping center in the United Arab Emirates.

1st place in the “Vision Leader” category: This category honors companies that focus on digital solutions and new technologies and thus set the course for the future. qapture’s vision is to transform physical environments into high-precision digital and virtual twins to revolutionize accuracy and efficiency in construction, manufacturing and industrial facilities. Using advanced technologies such as laser scanning, robotics and machine learning, qapture aims to accurately document and revitalize real structures and create immersive virtual experiences.

This year’s IMMO FutureLab was all about the “cities of the future” for participants from the real estate industry, construction, planning and urban development. Around 120 industry experts met at the industry innovation congress in Vienna’s Reaktor. The presentations were given by Iris Einwaller, organizer and Managing Director of epmedia advertising agency, together with co-initiators Peter Engert, Managing Director of ÖGNI (Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate), and Wolfgang Kradischnig, Managing Director of…

For the second time, the Rotary Club Peuerbach hosted a discussion at the Melodium. While the focus last year was on digitalization in general, this year’s topic was artificial intelligence. The evening was hosted by Hermann Sikora, Honorary Professor of Business Informatics at the JKU and CEO of Raiffeisen Software GmbH. The panel included Sok-Kheng Taing from “dynatrace”, Georg König, former principal of Gymnasium Wels, Daniel Höller from “qapture” and Wolfgang Pree, professor at the University of Salzburg. Gerhard Eschelbeck – former deputy head of security at Google – was “there” live from Silicon Valley via Zoom.

Experts at the “Building the Future” conference at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz at the invitation of Drees & Sommer and qapture agree that a digital twin of buildings can save a considerable amount of construction costs, especially in the case of renovations.

Captured using 3D laser scanning and the creation of point clouds, the digital recording of the construction status and progress offers significant advantages – even after the project has been completed. An Upper Austrian start-up uses well-known reference projects to show what these are.

Thousands of companies are founded in Upper Austria every year. Here, five of them explain how an idea became a company and what the challenges were.

The Linz-based start-up qapture digitizes buildings and infrastructure using digital twins, with customers such as international companies and the Austrian parliament. In the IKEA store at Vienna’s Westbahnhof station, a robot roams the aisles at night without causing a stir.

California instead of Upper Austria, Silicon Valley instead of the familiar surroundings of Kepler University. When qapture founders Daniel Höller and Dominic Koll boarded the plane in Vienna on Wednesday, they had high expectations. The software specialist for “digital twins” wants to take the next development steps in the USA.

The Lindner Group enlisted the digital expertise of qapture for the refurbishment of the Austrian parliament. The Linz-based startup implemented the virtual construction documentation for the major project. The flooring system provider used qapture’s virtual twin to improve energy efficiency and simplify conversion and repair measures.

The tech2b Incubator is an initiative of Business Upper Austria, Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences, Johannes Kepler University Linz, University of Art and Design Linz and the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce. In the summer, qapture took part in the pre-scale-up program as a high-tech start-up with potential. The advice and support provided by the incubator helped qapture to reach the first major milestones in the start-up phase. The pre-scale program helped qapture to land major projects in the first year, create structures within the company and be profitable right from the start. By networking with other tech2b start-ups and cooperation partners, qapture was also able to quickly build up a network and awareness on the market.

“The digitalization of the parliament was one of the milestones in the company’s history,” explains founder Daniel Höller in an interview. The company created virtual construction documentation for the renovation of the parliament. Robots and cameras are now being used for surveying and digitization. In a “dog school” for robots, qapture is experimenting with AI to find out which use cases are possible. The start-up now counts large industrial companies among its customers.

qapture is assisted in the creation of virtual twins by the robot dog Spot. The robot from the manufacturer Boston Dynamics creates 360-degree images of the rooms to be digitized during laser measurement. “Spot” is also used for smart building documentation. The advantage of using robots and digitizing business premises or construction plans is that maintenance teams no longer have to travel and can manage the properties remotely.

LINZ: Robot dog “Spot” is also being used in Upper Austria for the first time. It is creating a digital twin of the new Danube bridge in Linz. As part of the “Digital Linz” digitalization programme, the city of Linz is now cooperating with the start-up quapture. “The first digital twin of Linz’s new Danube Bridge, created using the robot dog ‘Spot’, marks the start of the cooperation,” explains qapture co-founder Daniel Höller. “Spot” is being used for the first time in Upper Austria.

In the article, we explain what sparked our interest in laser scanning: “We have made it our mission to support companies in realizing the numerous potentials of virtual 3D space.” qapture is driving forward topics such as object recognition with artificial intelligence, digital inventories and automation. By combining laser technology with other technologies, we see many new application possibilities: “Many that we haven’t even thought of yet.”

During the coronavirus lockdown in spring 2020, qapture ensured that the temporary MAZ Museum in the port of Linz could also be visited virtually. The temporary urban art exhibition on an area of 2,500 square meters was digitized by qapture. Support for the implementation of the virtual tour came from the Mayor of Linz, Klaus Luger.