Vioso configures an innovative cylindrical Cave for the Kaist headquarters in Korea

The integrator VizWave has relied on the self-calibration technology of Vioso to create a stereoscopic virtual environment and ensure immersive viewing at the venue, cylindrical design, from the Korean Institute of Scientific and Technological Information (Kaist).

Creating a state-of-the-art, curved 3D viewing space for the cylindrical headquarters of Kaist It has been a complex project, in which a singular cornerless version of a virtual reality Cave, driven by a system of DLP laser projectors 3 chips, formed by thirteen teams of the model UDM-4K15 of Barco, ceiling mounted, of 5,6 meters high.

With dual inputs, the thirteen UDM-4K15 devices, each with a power of 15.000 lumens, they project Immersive stereoscopic images on curved walls and floor of the room, of 9 meters in diameter, what is used for Vioso self-calibration technology.

Located on the Kaist National Supercomputing Center campus, This VR/AR viewing space has been designed by VizWave, based in Seoul, and directed by its general director, Hyunjoo Yun, based on their experience building similar systems (Cave, powerwalls, holostages, etc.) for other universities and scientific institutions in South Korea.

VizWave is also responsible for long-term maintenance of the projection room. The system includes the software Vioso 6 SIM, with this manufacturer's patented camera-based automatic warping and combining technology, as well as a camera calibration kit Fulldome.

For immersive space, Those responsible for the project chose to equip the Vioso Fulldome kit with a fisheye lens for calibration, with the goal of minimizing the appearance of square corners in the projection, a common problem in most projection environments.

In this project, the challenge was the cylindrical core of the Kaist building, which has a very narrow curved transition from the wall to the floor, described by those responsible as 'an inverted dome', so the use of a fisheye lens was essential to create a more fluid and immersive experience.

“Installing the projectors was the first real challenge,” he recalls. Krahmann, responsible for Vioso for this project- because initially there were multiple overlaps, a big drawback for a space like this, since it would destroy the black levels. Each projector emits some light, even if the output is black, So that was the first thing we needed to change.”.

Using Vioso 6 SIM and the Fulldome kit with a 185° fisheye lens and a 12 MP, that covered the entire projection surface, Krahmann was able to obtain enough resolution to measure the position of all the projector's pixels on the screen through curvature, despite the quadruple overlap and luminous surfaces in the cylindrical hall.

This allowed the geometry map calculation perfect and fusion zones optimal. Later, This precise calibration was imported into Dataton Watchout, MiddleVRy WorldViz Wizard. An audio system 10.2 channels and another user tracking channel with twelve cameras complete the installation.

With its new viewing room, Kaist aims to enhance the scientific and engineering role that virtual reality technology plays, connecting VR display systems to the center's high-performance computing and supercomputing equipment.

Kaist's vice president, Minsu Joh, who built and operated the institute's first-generation Cave in the early 1990s. 2000, explains that virtual and augmented reality theater is also open for use by private investigators.

“The new virtual environment has been expanded to support augmented reality technologies,” he emphasizes.. We plan to continue supporting not only researchers from various specialties, but also to small and medium-sized national companies to use this infrastructure of the Cave system. Our company is one of the few, if not the only one, capable of offering such an exclusive service”.