Visual simulation R&D sites at Tonsley Innovation district

Visual simulation companies One World LED and Sportal will consolidate their national and international research and development capabilities into new premises at Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide joining other companies such as Micro-X, Zeiss, Siemens and Sage Automation in the former car making site.

The companies research, design and engineer custom LED technology in Adelaide, Houston, Texas and Suzhou, China and hold more than a dozen patents in those countries.

The two recently played a part in the Matildas’ FIFA Women’s World Cup preparations, connecting their hardware and software to the team’s coaching tablets during training, enabling outdoor LED screens to become ‘giant whiteboards’ – displaying real-time data during practice sessions.

Started by CEO and founder Schumann Rafizadeh who moved with his family from the USA to Adelaide 10 years ago, One World LED produces bespoke LED solutions for clients.

Affiliate company Sportal, founded by Darius Rafizadeh, utilises technology that gives schools and clubs unparalleled ability to curate their own content on their screens or scoreboards including training, announcements, advertising, live scores and team-specific material – all in real-time from an app on their smartphone.

One World LED and Sportal also recently signed an eight-year R&D partnership agreement for scoreboards for Football SA and Football Victoria. This includes installation of screens at the home of the Matildas at La Trobe University Sports Park in Victoria.

Rafizadeh said: “We see our technology as ‘the fourth screen of significance’ that will match the disruptor influence of the previous three – the invention of the television, the arrival of the PC and the seismic impact of the smartphone – and unlock a lucrative global market, particularly in the area of sports.

“There is significant potential for collaboration, particularly with other companies in the software and simulation space which is a focus area at Tonsley. We’re excited about the move and what being in the Tonsley environment will mean for us.”

One World LED has purchased one of the last remaining large-scale greenfield sites left at Tonsley, formerly the Mitsubishi Motors main assembly building, and will invest $9 million to create a new purpose-built 2,000m2 facility with the potential to more than double in size as the company grows.

The companies plan to centralise the majority of their international R&D activities to Tonsley, generating 50-70 positions with expectations that this could grow to a staff of several hundred within 10 years.

Image: tonsley.com.au