K-Cube Graph
The digital age has been reinforced by five pillars of progress: (1) automated reasoning, (2) search engines, (3) unstructured information retrieval, (4) big data management, and (5) graphical knowledge. Since Richard H. Richens introduced the semantic networks in 1956, we have gained more understanding of knowledge representation. Knowledge Graphs ( KGs ) were first referenced in 1972 by the Austrian linguist Edgar W. Schneider in the process of developing instructional systems for course modularization. Fifteen years later, KGs became the foundation of the 1987 PhD thesis by René Bakker who extended their use to the structuring of scientific knowledge. Three years later, KGs were mathematically formalized by P. James at University of Twente in 1991. K(nowledge)-Cube captures the structure of the knowledge base in a university curriculum. It allows students and instructors to interact together with both a 2D and 3D visual representation of the knowledge graph of the curriculum.
The development of the K-Cube started in 2021 as a strategic initiative project in the Department of Computing, at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The project was showcased to government officials and the general public in July 2022 at the InnoMart Expo, in the Hong Kong Science Park. It has achieved international exposure in top academic journals such as the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies (Dec. 2023, May. 2024), and international conferences, such as the International Conference on Blended Learning, (ICBL 2022), the International Conference on Web-Based Learning (ICWL 2022 and 2023), and the Annual IEEE International Conference on Metaverse Computing, Networking, and Applications (IEEE MetaCom 2024).
One of the K-Cube papers has received the Best Paper Award at the 21st International Conference on Web-based Learning (ICWL 2022). Furthermore, the Hong Kong Children's Hospital has been involved in developing a simulation of the perioperative journey in the operating theatre to help children cope with their fears of medical procedures. The K-Cube project has been part of new immersive presentation styles in the classroom accompanied by AI assisted virtual agents, such as Virtual Peter. The K-Cube AI project has received much attention from multiple organizations in Asia, China, and Hong Kong. It strives to bring together AI and the metaverse to provide an immersive learning experience for all ages.