Platypus Digital’s initial project will be OGLE Digital Content Download Kiosks, a take-away content delivery system. They’ve already been invited to speak about the kiosks at the mEducation Alliance International Symposium, to be held from 5 to 6 September in Washington, D.C., USA. Supported by the likes of UNICEF, UNESCO, World Bank, US Aid, World Vision and the World Wide Web Foundation, this invitation-only event is the preeminent forum for exploring the intersection of mobile technologies and improved learning outcomes in developing countries.

Platypus Digital is currently focusing on rolling out a national network of touch-screen content kiosks in schools and learning institutions, to allow both learners and educators to access and download quality, curriculum-based education and edutainment-rich content for no cost.

“The country was horrified by the recent headlines about schools in Limpopo not having textbooks yet, halfway through the school year,” says Stanley Edwards who will head up Platypus Digital. “Education is the primary challenge facing South Africa and we believe that the OGLE Kiosks can play a key role in solving these sorts of delivery problems.”

Educational and edutainment content is just the first phase for the kiosks. “Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predictions for 2012 spoke about how seat-back entertainment on airplanes and long distance trains and buses will shift towards offering Wi Fi and a preloaded multimedia server so travelers can consume on their own devices,” says Edwards. “We aim to be ahead of that trend and to expand it into additional areas like events and retail.”
Platypus Productions has a long track record of digital innovations. Earlier this year, Platypus became the first production company in the world to adapt Sonru.com’s automated video interviewing services for an online casting.

“We’ve seen steady growth in the amount of digital work Platypus does,” says Edwards. “So it made sense to launch a dedicated arm to focus on it. In digital, content remains king, so we think coming from a production background immediately separates us from the majority of the digital consultancies out there.”