Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Digital Twin Marine creates virtual ship models with 360-degree and laser-scanning cameras

INNOVATION

Digital Twins

Nicky Bruger and her husband Tom worked side-by-side in the pandemic from their Fort Lauderdale home — she in construction management and he as a ship surveyor, akin to a home inspector for ships. One day, he saw her using a digital model of a job site to plan work. “He was like, ‘Why don’t we do that for ships?’ ”

Using 360-degree cameras and Lidar laser-scanning cameras, their company, Digital Twin Marine, creates a detailed, virtual model of a vessel — a digital twin. Ship owners use it, including a VR version, to more efficiently plan dry dock work or conduct marketing or training.

The couple, studying for University of Florida MBAs, came in second in a UF business plan competition. FPL’s 35 Mules program, which provides mentoring to early-stage startups, including a $100,000 grant, accepted them. “Having all their help and resources has been just fantastic,” says Nicky.

The 2-year-old company has made digital twins of commercial ships over 100 feet and a couple of superyachts as it works toward profitability. Long-term goal: To have offices near major global ports.

EDUCATION

  • Indian River State College used $10 million from an anonymous donor to establish a charter high school in Indiantown. It will open in a temporary location in August with 75 ninth-graders.
  • Development firm CRG plans to renovate a former printing plant in Miramar into a campus for for-profit Chamberlain University and administrative offices for Chamberlain parent Adtalem Global Education’s Ross University School of Medicine, American University for the Caribbean School of Medicine and the Medical Education Readiness Program.

REAL ESTATE

  • New York-based Related Cos., owner of the Hilton West Palm Beach, told local tourism authorities it may build a second hotel at the Palm Beach County convention center.
  • PulteGroup plans to redevelop the Sherwood Park golf course in Delray Beach into a single-family home development.
  • Kolter Homes began golf course construction and land development for the 682-acre, 900-home Astor Creek Country Club opening in 2023 in Port St. Lucie. It will be Kolter’s first golf course development done from the ground up.
  • Development firm Key International and Wexford Real Estate Investors sold the 10-story, 171-room AC Hotel by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach to Dynamic City Capital for $74.3 million. Dynamic, which has offices in Utah and California, has two Clearwater Beach hotels, a Residence Inn and a SpringHill Suites, in its portfolio.
  • Miami-based Related Group launched sales for its oceanfront, 21-story, 119-unit Casamar, its second luxury condo project in Pompano Beach. Units start at $1.8 million. It follows Related’s sold-out Solemar development.
  • Boca West Country Club is building a 96,000-sq.-ft. aquatics center with five pools, including a four-lane lap pool.
  • California-based Brickstar Capital paid seller Chart Organization, a New York real estate company represented by Colliers, $12.65 million for Spanish River Plaza, a 4.5-acre, 56,034-sq.-ft. retail and office center at South Federal Highway and Northeast Spanish River Boulevard in Boca Raton.

RETAIL

  • Owner Yoram Izhuk contracted to sell the Festival Flea Market, a longtime bargainhunting site in Pompano Beach, to Atlanta-based IDI Logistics. IDI plans to replace it with a warehouse. Izhuk says terms of the deal include giving tenants a couple of years to make plans with some potentially relocating to other properties he owns in South Florida.
  • Delray Beach-based Ed Morse Automotive Group acquired four dealerships and a parts center in Iowa from Kreiger Motor, taking Morse to 31 dealerships and 63 franchises.
  • PopStroke’s plans for a facility in Delray Beach include two Tiger Woods-designed 18-hole putting courses along with a restaurant and outdoor play areas. Pop- Stroke has sites in Port St. Lucie, Orlando, Sarasota and Fort Myers, with future locations coming in late 2022 in Wesley Chapel, to serve the Tampa market, and cities in Texas and Arizona.

TRANSPORTATION

  • The state transportation department will fund a $12.95-million design study of a people-mover transit shuttle connection between Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport, cruise terminals at Port Everglades and the county convention center and private passenger rail service Brightline. Projected cost of building the project is $600 million with completion of the first phase years away.
  • Private passenger rail company Brightline helped unveil BrightBike, a 150-bike rental program in West Palm Beach. The program is part of its Brightline+ services that offer public and private means to go to and from stations