Numix est a digital learning and innovative 3D applications specialist.
Crédits photos : Numix
On the occasion of the 6th edition of VRDays, the Numix company, located between Albi and Toulouse in the South of France, has decided to take part in a virtual event. Specialising in the digitalisation of training, Numix assists companies that want to embark on immersive learning or e-learning. Benjamin Granier, Business Developer and Executive Assistant, presents Numix’s core business, its key solutions and his point of view on the training of tomorrow.
Can you present Numix in a few words?
At Numix, we are experts in digital and immersive pedagogy. We assist companies in the creation and digitalisation of their training and communication. We mainly build immersive experiences, using virtual reality headsets in particular. We use several technologies such as virtual reality, but also augmented reality and mixed reality. We also create game-based training courses, making them fun and engaging for the learner.
Numix has two essential sectors of activity: 70% of our business focuses on the creation of virtual reality training courses. Our main customers come from industry and the energy sector, such as EDF, Enedis and Airbus. This includes all businesses that present a potential risk. The whole point of VR is to put learners in potentially dangerous environments, where they can carry out their business activities and procedures in complete safety. 30% of our activity is focused on the creation of e-learning modules, motion design and serious games. We work with major groups such as Yves Rocher, Lacoste or the RATP on HR, safety and staff training subjects for example.
How do you work with your clients looking to digitalise a training course?
We accompany our client from A to Z on his project. Very often when prospects contact us, they are not necessarily aware of the technology that can be used. They don’t really know how to digitalise their existing training and that’s precisely our job. They really need support in these areas. We also support them in developing the bill of specifications, which is one of our strengths.
We work internally with pedagogical engineers. Their job is to understand the needs of our prospects and clients. This enables us to work with all sectors of activity. It’s an in-house expertise that’s interesting. We don’t do VR for VR’s sake, our solutions have a real pedagogical contribution. And I think that’s what differentiates us from some of our main competitors.
To immerse themselves in the profession of each of our prospects, our teaching engineers travel to the site. They exchange with experts, set up storyboards, define a relevant subject to be developed, and get to know all the internal processes. It’s really a real investigative work.
Technically and in terms of content, what kind of training do you develop at Numix?
It is mainly a fully 3D reconstruction of environments. We can also make video or 360-degree photographs, we have already worked on similar projects. But this is not our main added value. Our added value is this contribution and this pedagogical support. It’s also the graphic quality of our solutions. We have sufficient knowledge of the tool to be able to use it in a variety of media, whether on a stand-alone headset, a wired headset or a tablet.
Usually these are face-to-face training sessions with 6-7 people. The trainer has video feedback of what the learners do in the virtual environment. This enables him or her to intervene or let the other learners see whether or not the learner is making mistakes. For example, we carried out a training course on flood management on a hydroelectric dam. The trainer can interact in real time: he can trigger hazards such as electrical problems, or play on the weather or water level. He will be able to adapt to the level of the learner. What could be better than offering adaptive training to the person in front of us? This training course was presented at the CES in Las Vegas 2020 where the feedback was excellent.
On the education side, we worked with the IFP School. We have created a training course for starting a pump, used in particular at Total, to train students in virtual reality in complete safety. In a classroom, 6-7 students have the possibility of carrying out their maintenance in VR and multiplayer, so that they are ready when they are in a real situation.
Do you think that immersion and digital are the future of training?
With the confinement, we really saw that there was a real interest and enthusiasm for distance learning, whether in virtual reality or through e-learning. 2020 will be Numix’s best year for the e-learning part, which will perhaps weigh a little over 30% of our business in the future. We’ve really seen the need to digitalise face-to-face training, which is complicated to run in the current context. There is also a questioning of training courses that are not necessarily very “sexy” and engaging for learners. Companies are also asking themselves a lot of questions about how to give new impulse and motivate their employees, especially when they stay at distance for a long time. There is a real revival in this area.
I think that companies will continue to be interested in e-learning and virtual reality training. But you have to understand that VR does not take away the face-to-face aspect. It’s an excellent complement. We’re not here to put face-to-face training on the shelf, far from it. The idea is to give the trainer a new tool to be able to explain in the best possible way. We are also convinced that learning by doing is the best possible way to retain information.
What attracted you to participating in a virtual event like VRDays?
During the virtual version of Laval Virtual in April, we found the experience was super interesting. This remains an unknown for us, we wonder if it will be interesting commercially speaking. But we are eager to participate and especially to try it out so we can identify the positive feedback from such an experience like VRDays. We’ve been physically participating in the Laval Virtual show for 3 years now, so we wanted to continue in this way. It will certainly be a new experience, but at the same time we work every day in technology. If we’re not ready for it, no one really is!
See you in a few days in the Laval Virtual World. What will the visitors be able to see on the Numix booth?
On our booth, we will present all our key solutions, such as Crue Simulator VR or Emily VR. We will also have new products, such as what we have developed for IFP School. We may also be able to present the training we are currently carrying out for a major Swiss gas company. In short, there will be a number of new products!
