The Zuozhen Fossil Park in Tainan is located in the Cailiao River Basin, which is rich in fossil deposits. With over 4,600 items in its collection, it boasts the largest collection of local fossils in Taiwan and is the only fossil-themed park in the country. In the summer of 2021, we collaborated with the park to launch the “Starlight Journey” AR experience app. This app is not only designed to provide interactive entertainment but also aims to enhance visitors’ understanding of ancient organisms and geological history through the application of AR technology, making their visit more engaging and informative.
Using AR technology, we designed unique levels based on the different exhibits and terrains within the park. Visitors can download the app and experience various interactive activities upon entering the park, such as interacting with ancient creatures or watching 360-degree animation videos. The game also includes many interactive tasks, such as fossil collection in the riverbed, helping golden monkeys gather apples, sorting and arranging fossils, cleaning fossils, and feeding T-Rex, Triceratops, and Brachiosaurus. These activities aim to spark children’s curiosity about ancient creatures.
In this experience, we use iBeacon positioning hardware, differing from traditional AR that relies on GPS network positioning. This method addresses issues such as indoor and outdoor network signal limitations and excessive phone load due to prolonged GPS usage. Even when moving indoors, the game experience remains unaffected, ensuring smooth gameplay. Additionally, we incorporate iBeacon’s proactive push notification feature, alerting visitors on their phones when they approach interactive checkpoints, thereby enhancing the overall visit experience.
Client｜Tainan Zuojhen Fossil Park
Creative Team｜Yuri Studio
Executive Director｜Allan Yang
3D Art Design｜Yun-Chung Tsai, Yi-Rou Jiao
Art Director｜Allan Yang
UIUX Designer｜Nancy Ni
Programming Design｜Aslan Wu, Paul, Lu Ji-Che
Sensing Device｜Aslan Wu