An instructor demonstrated the more technically-geared aspects of the portable iCube’s programming by walking someone through an oil rig demonstration. The portable iCube can be moved from one location to the next, unlike its immobile brother, the iCube, which is permanently installed into a facility. (photo by Ivy Brashear)
The event was open to the public and allowed those who attended to get an overview of what the technology could be used for and also participate in simulations created with the technology, said HCTC president, Adam Goldman.
Goldman said the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) helped tremendously in getting the technology situated at HCTC.
“We couldn’t do a lot to help our community without your help and your support,” Goldman said about EKCEP.
Ron Daly, senior director of advancement and governmental relations at the college, said HCTC now has the largest collection of 3-D technology in Kentucky with the addition of the new technology, adding that they have a piece of equipment used with 3-D technology that is the only one of its kind in the world: the 3-D movable iCube, which can be transported from place to place unlike most of the other equipment that is permanently installed.
“We have something here in eastern Kentucky that others do not have,” Daly said. “Today (during the tour), we’re just going to whet your appetite.”
Daly said that the 3-D technology could be used to supplement the teaching of K-12 and community and technical college students, and could also be used as a way for the college to work with community leaders.
The technology allows students to participate in a number of activities, from exploring the solar system to navigating an off-shore oil rig. It will also allow technical college students to take apart engines and put them back together before touching a real engine. The technology will also allow medical and nursing students to learn about the workings of the human body before ever actually touching one.
The technology can also be used to teach 3-D design and modeling.
“We are training people for some very lucrative careers,” Daly said.
Johnnie Handshoe, the project manager for the 3-D technology, said that he was first introduced to 3-D technology about five years ago on a trip to Lexington to preview what was then the latest in 3-D technology.
“It was blowing my mind because I did not have a clue about how this stuff could work,” Handshoe said.
He said he quickly learned about this technology, though, and what HCTC now has is currently the most “cutting-edge” technology available.
“It was pretty amazing then,” Handshoe said. “What we’ve got here makes that look so outdated, it’s unbelievable.”
The technology is so “up-to-date” that only a handful of people fully know how to control and use it. The hope is, though, that someday soon the technology will be used to enhance the learning process for all that use it, said Dr. Gerald Napoles.
“The great thing is, once we teach the students and faculty how to use this stuff, then we can go to the Louisvilles and the Moreheads and partner with them,” Napoles said.
Proponents of the technology say that someday equipment like the Holopodium, which is a tele-presence device that combines video and virtual reality, could be used to connect classrooms across the state.
He also said the Upward Bound and Gear Up students will be taught how to use this technology this summer as a pilot group of students.
He said they are still open to ideas about how to best use the new technology.
“The stuff you can think of – those are probably great ideas that we may not have thought of,” Napoles said. He added that the main thing they are focused on is incorporating those ideas into education or community engagement.
Instructors will begin using this technology in their regular classes this fall, and all involved said expectations are high.
“The possibilities are endless,” Napoles said.
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