Bridge AI Showcase 2025 – Part 2:
Rethinking 3D for Education and Heritage
In Part 1 of our blog, we reflected on the strong interest from the construction sector during our time at the Bridge AI Annual Showcase 2025 at Convene Sancroft in London. But the day also revealed valuable insights from another group of attendees: those working in education, marketing, and cultural heritage.
These sectors may differ in scale and scope, but they share a common need: reliable, intuitive 3D scanning tools that don’t require specialist expertise or expensive infrastructure.
A Gap in the Market for Fast, Reliable 3D
In marketing and education, we repeatedly heard variations of the same story:
“We tried photogrammetry. It didn’t work.”
More often than not, the issue stemmed from the underlying tech, not the users. Traditional Structure-from-Motion (SfM) workflows like COLMAP offer little real-time feedback, making it difficult to know whether a dataset is usable until long after the capture session is over.
This presents a significant barrier for small teams, educators, or marketing professionals who don’t have time or budget for multiple retakes or post-processing surprises.
What’s missing is a fast, robust, and affordable solution, something that offers reliability without requiring expert knowledge. Elata’s supernormal imaging pipeline and photographic turntable system are designed specifically to meet that need. The feedback we received at the showcase validated our approach and helped refine our thinking about future features and form factors.
Education and the Future of STEM Engagement
The showcase highlighted just how much educational institutions are looking for hands-on, visual learning tools to support digital literacy, STEM engagement, and creative technologies. 3D scanning has a natural role to play here, if it can be made accessible.
Several educators told us they’d tried existing solutions and found them unreliable or too fragile for a classroom environment. Others were interested in exploring how 3D models could enhance remote learning, practical assignments, and creative experimentation, but only if the tools could deliver consistent, high-quality results.
We believe Elata has a role to play in bridging this gap, not just as a technical tool, but as a gateway into AI, computer vision, and digital design for students and educators alike.
Opportunities in the Cultural Heritage Sector
In cultural heritage, the need for precise, high-fidelity 3D imaging is well established, but the tools available are often prohibitively expensive, technically complex, or logistically impractical for small organisations.
At the showcase, we had encouraging conversations with professionals who work in object preservation, digital archiving, and visitor engagement. There was strong interest in how a platform like Elata could offer:
Portable, high-resolution imaging for artefact documentation
Repeatable workflows for small teams with limited tech support
Real-time validation of data capture before leaving the site
In particular, the ability to reliably capture fine surface details using compact, smartphone-based equipment could open new possibilities for museums, galleries, and archives looking to digitise collections at scale and on a budget.
What’s Next?
The Bridge AI Showcase helped solidify our understanding of the broader demand for intuitive, dependable 3D imaging tools, not just in industry, but across education, culture, and communication.
We’re now refining our messaging and roadmap for these sectors, ensuring that Elata continues to evolve with the needs of those working at the intersection of creativity, learning, and heritage preservation.
Final Thoughts
The Bridge AI Annual Showcase 2025 has been a fantastic opportunity to connect with future-focused teams across a wide spectrum of sectors. From classrooms to construction sites, studios to archives, the demand for better 3D imaging is growing, and we’re excited to be part of the solution.
A big thank you to Innovate UK and the Bridge AI team for organising such a meaningful and inclusive event.
📷 Want to explore how Elata could support your team’s 3D capture needs?
💬 Contact us at sales@aralia.co.uk
