Johannesburg’s 64-year-old Planetarium, within the Wits College campus in Parktown, has had a serious technological improve.
Sporting a brand new title – the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome – the ability has been utterly reimagined utilizing high-resolution digital projectors.
TechCentral attended the media launch of the Digital Dome earlier this week and put collectively the video under, which incorporates footage captured utilizing a 360-degree digital camera in addition to an interview with the dome’s long-serving supervisor, Fixed Volschenk.
Watch the video:
The Digital Dome, which shall be opened to the general public in February 2025, provides a “360-degree immerse expertise” and can showcase quite a lot of exhibits aimed at college teams and members of the general public.
It can additionally function a contemporary educating venue and a collaborative analysis area the place scientists and college students can visualise their work – be it in large information, astrophysics, the digital arts, synthetic medication, microbiology and precision medication, Wits College mentioned in a press release.
It gained’t solely be used for critical work, although: the dome may also be made accessible occasionally for immersive videogame occasions. With its huge domed roof and high-resolution projectors, it guarantees to be an immersive gaming expertise not like something accessible elsewhere.
“First accomplished in 1960, the outdated Planetarium was the primary full sized planetarium in Africa,” Wits mentioned. “The brand new Digital Dome is the biggest of its variety within the southern hemisphere, made potential by an funding of R90-million from Anglo American and Wits College.
“For the previous 64 years, the Planetarium has entertained, impressed and educated tens of millions of holiday makers from Gauteng and past,” mentioned Prof Zeblon Vilakazi, vice chancellor and principal of Wits College, who spoke on the launch occasion.
“Personally, I visited the outdated Planetarium in 1981 on the top of apartheid. It left an enormous and indelible mark on me, and I imagine that it performed a key function in igniting a scientific spark that led to me changing into a nuclear physicist. By way of the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, we hope to proceed inspiring individuals from numerous disciplines, together with these working in local weather modelling, synthetic intelligence and digital arts.”
The unique analogue Zeiss projector has been changed by 10 4K-quality Sony digital projectors that render an 8.6K-resolution picture on the curved ceiling of the dome construction. Every projector has its personal picture generator, which is managed by a grasp pc. The audio within the Digital Dome has additionally been upgraded to an 8.2 encompass sound system. A brand new north wing growth homes operational places of work, exhibition areas and specialised areas for Digital Dome present planning and design.
Learn: Remembering Barry Dwolatzky, Wits College’s ‘Grand Geek’
The Wits Anglo American Digital Dome will enter a pilot section from November to the tip of January and is predicted to open its doorways to the broader public in February. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media
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