3D JOURNEY
Last Monday I just register for the access of some rooms I want in Building 1 (for ICT) and 2 (for BIS). When I have registered, I can enter those rooms with my Matrix ID Card. I’ve just found so many laboratories in Building 1 and Building 2. Multimedia Lab 1, 2, 3, until 6 in Building 2 where I ge in touch as the tutor of ICIS (Introduction of Computer and Information System) until now, Application Lab 1 until 2 where I tutor SAD (System Analysis and Design) in Building 2, some of Advanced Programming Lab and some of Flexible Learning Lab in building 1, Data Communication Lab (very sophisticated and complicated but luxurious networking lab) in building 2, and of course the Postgraduate Lab in Building 2. The postgraduate Lab is very quiet but fulfilled with unquiet people. The one that I notice most, is some room in Level 2 Building 2. There are some rooms related with Virtual Reality.
First I thought VR course is complicated and uninteresting because I’ve never been taught those materials at my undergraduate. But actually when my supervisor give me project for my GA (my eyes turning green 
) to do the survey of a VR project, I become interested with the room (thanks to Barkah for giving me the information about it). OK, first, there are some room related with VR, they are Virtual Reality Lab 1 (Power Wall), Virtual Reality Lab 2 (Cave), Usability Waiting Room and Usability Control Room. But the most interesting room is Power Wall, because I can see that there are a lot of fun things for VR.
First thing is Polarized Glasses to view a 3D screen movie using two projectors. The movie cannot be seen from computer, and at the roll-screen, we will see unclear motion pictures or movies since we use two projectors. But when we use polarized googles, we can feel that the picture is real and so near to us.
The second thing is LCD Shutter Glasses, a glasses containing liquid crystal and polarizing filter used to create the illusion of a 3D image. And there are also a video card, which darkens over one eye, and then the other, in synchronization with the refresh rate of the monitor setting. At this time, I just realized that refresh rate is not just important but very important, that is for VR. In sufficient high refresh rate, we will not see any flickering, each eye receives a different image, and the 3D effect is able to be perceived.
And then the third one is head-mounted display, or I usually called it Holodeck, because it is supposed to belong to Startrek’s. It is actually a display device that we wears on our head to have video information directly displayed in front of our eyes. In our eyes, there are lenses to make us perceive that the images are from far distance. We will see what we called augmented reality (AR). One more thing is wired glove, a glove-like input device for VR. The sensor is in bending of fingers only. Barkah said that if we are in the situation that we are given a heavy rock virtually, our finger will feel the heaviness of the rock as well. And actually this thing is also developed for Nintendo Power Glove.
Actually, those things are very expensive things. One of them is approximately $10000. So I must be careful when I and Barkah conduct the survey. But actually this experience is one of a great journey in my life.
