PUTRAJAYA – Swinburne’s multimedia design lecturer John Hii had the honour to showcase Microsoft Hololens technology to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the recent 5G Malaysia Showcase.
As the advisor and mentor to Trifold X Sdn Bhd under the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creative Centre (MaGIC) mentorship programme, Hii teamed up with Trifold X and Digi at the event to showcase Immersive Learning via Mixed Reality (MR) application. Trifold X is a company established by alumni of Swinburne’s Sarawak campus.
Hii also had the opportunity to showcase the HoloLens to Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
At the showcase, Hii demonstrated the use of Microsoft HoloLens Mixed Reality content related to real time problem solving where a car engine was dismantled part by part holographically. Via the 5G high speed network, it brings together employees in multiple remote locations with real-time view to troubleshoot problems efficiently and cost effectively.
With research interests in the field of multimedia technology design and blended learning in mobile and social networking, Hii has years of experience in teaching and multimedia industry. His current areas of teaching include Final Year Capstone Project Digital Media Design and Video Compositing.
In the past, Hii has collaborated with leading companies and government agencies such as Microsoft, Google, Nokia, Malaysian Global Innovation and Creative Centre (MaGIC), SMA-TEGAS, Petrosains, Sarawak Tourism Board, Sarawak Museum, and Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). He has also mentored Swinburne’s students and alumni in various competitions including the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2015 where the university’s design students represented Malaysia in the world finals held in Seattle, Washington.
Held at the Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya, the 5G Malaysia Showcase aimed to highlight the potential of 5G where the public had the chance to gain first-hand user experience from demonstrations by local and international organisations. Among the participating companies and institutions of higher learning were Maxis, Digi, Celcom, TM, U Mobile, Huawei, Nokia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute.
Some of the real-life applications that were showcased include remote surgery (healthcare), virtual e-sports (media and entertainment), immersive learning (education), smart energy (smart cities), agribots (agriculture), autonomous vehicles (automotive), smart surveillance (public safety), and smart factories (manufacturing).
Swinburne’s Sarawak campus offers three-year programmes in Bachelor of Design majoring in Multimedia Design; Bachelor of Computer Science majoring in Cybersecurity, Internet of Things and Software Development; and Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology with majors in Network Technology and Software Technology in addition to its engineering, science and business programmes.
The design programme provides students the knowledge to combine creativity with business sense and insights, in addition to partnering them with industry players to gain comprehensive theory and hands-on skills. For students who would like to expand their majors and at the same time gain experience abroad, they can also consider completing their degree at Swinburne’s Melbourne campus where it offers majors such as Architecture, Branded Environments, Communication Design, Digital Media Design, Industrial Design and more.
Meanwhile, its computing degrees are professionally accredited by the Australian Computer Society, ensuring the courses meet the highest standard of the industry. Swinburne’s Sarawak campus is also a Cisco Academy Partner.
For more information about Swinburne and its upcoming events, visit its website www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).