Norwegian Startup Orbify.eu Develops Warped 3D Mapping SDK for Navigation Systems

A Norwegian geospatial software startup is building a new visual interface for digital mapping that curves 3D terrain to give drivers and pedestrians a simultaneous street-level and overhead view. Orbify.eu, founded two years ago, is designing an image-processing layer aimed at modernizing standard turn-by-turn navigation displays.

The Oslo-based venture was co-founded by Karsten Huitfeldt, who previously worked as an architect and project manager at design firm Snøhetta until 2025. As first reported by The Register, the startup has secured early funding from Innovation Norway and the Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsråd). The company operates separately from Orbify.ai, another Oslo-based technology firm.

Orbify.eu is pursuing patent protection in the European Union for its rendering technique under application PCT/EP2026/058725. According to Huitfeldt, the application covers an image processing system encompassing geometric bending algorithms, shaders, camera configurations, and navigation overlays. The filing is presently in its second examination round with European patent examiners, though the specification has not yet been published.

Rather than constructing a proprietary mapping backend or geographic dataset, the startup plans to commercialize its technology as a platform-agnostic software development kit (SDK). Orbify.eu aims to license the visual layer to third-party navigation providers across web, mobile, and in-vehicle automotive infotainment systems.

The company recently released an interactive web demonstration showcasing the curved interface design. The web-based system relies on the open-source PlayCanvas Engine, leveraging WebGL2 and WebGPU graphics standards to display Gaussian splatting within a spatial layout. Earlier software prototypes were created using Unreal Engine and Unity, pulling geographic data from Google's Photorealistic 3D Tiles via the Cesium rendering platform.

Huitfeldt noted that while automotive displays have seen hardware upgrades in recent years, core navigation design has remained mostly static. Standard interfaces often force drivers to manage different views and perspectives. Orbify.eu's warped spatial model seeks to unify ground and top-down views, with the goal of reducing the mental overhead required to link immediate surroundings with broader route information.

To evaluate the concept, Orbify.eu has drafted a research protocol for a controlled user study comparing its curved visual rendering against conventional perspective and aerial displays. The company plans to run participant testing to confirm whether the navigation benefits outweigh potential visual discomfort caused by geometric distortion.