Luna Tech Designs transforms 3D world into real jobs

Doug Willett and his team took a good thing (Google Earth) and made it better when they launched Luna Tech Designs.

The Plymouth-based firm got its start when Willett was showing off Google Earth to his wife. A town in Ireland had paid to digitize itself on the application, and in the course of her virtual wanderings Willett's wife wondered why she couldn't go into the buildings. That turned on the CFL above her husband's head.

He launched Luna Tech Designs two years ago with the idea of digitizing everything in the community. One of his first projects is digitizing downtown Plymouth in time for its Ice Festival so users can virtually wander through every publicly open part of the city's center.

"I realized there was a gap between the virtual experiment and the actual consumer," Willett says.

The company, which is partnering with Oakland University, now employs three people and a stable of independent contractors. Willett, the company's president, hopes to make another 3-5 hires hires this year. They will help him tackle projects across North America, such as digitizing every Best Western lodging property.

Source: Doug Willett, president of Luna Tech Designs
Writer: Jon Zemke
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