Shoushan Zoo uses AI to track animals and make avatars

Shoushan Zoo uses AI to track animals and make avatars

2026-04-15

It can be a letdown when animals at the zoo are hiding away and hard to see. Hoping to improve the visiting experience, Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung has introduced an AI guide, installing cameras in enclosures to track where the animals are. Currently the system is set up in the Formosan black bear and white rhinoceros enclosures. Through AI, visitors can even create a rhino avatar of themselves.

After instructing the screen, it quickly creates a cute rhino avatar of the speaker. The avatar has glasses, a blue shirt, and gray shorts, just like the person standing in front of the screen.

Yang Hsin-yi
Industrial Technology Research Institute
This is me as a rhinoceros! Based on my outfit today, it generated an avatar of me as a Javan rhinoceros.

There are five different species of rhino to choose between. After their rhino avatar is generated, people can change its clothes if they want to.

Member of public
It’s great! The avatar it made is really like me. It can tell the colors and different elements of your clothing.

Member of public
It’s quite special. It can tell what you are wearing and generate an avatar for you. It’s great for kids, they would be really happy to try this.

This is part of an AI guide system that the Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung commissioned the Industrial Technology Research Institute to design. It’s set up in the Formosan black bear and white rhinoceros enclosures and uses AI to locate the animals so that visitors can find them.

Yang Hsin-yi
Industrial Technology Research Institute
We can see where the bear is. We can see that the bear is currently hiding in its culvert. It is hiding by camera No. 9, which captures inside the black bear culvert.

Chuang Hsuan-chih
Shoushan Zoo director
Our white rhinoceros enclosure is quite large, so sometimes when visitors are passing through our animal corridors, they can’t immediately see any rhinos. With this guide system, it can automatically detect where the rhinos are and track them.

This system not only tracks animals and generates avatars, but also has interactive games to test visitors’ knowledge of animals, making visiting the zoo more fun and educational.

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#zoo #rhino #rhinoceros #bear #blackbear #Formosanblackbear #Kaohsiung #ShoushanZoo #AI #artificialintelligence

動物園引進AI智慧環境導覽系統精準追蹤不怕動物搞失蹤

2026-04-15

到動物園看動物，結果動物卻躲起來不營業，是不是會讓人有點掃興？現在有了AI幫忙，再也不怕這個問題。高雄壽山動物園引進AI智慧環境導覽系統，在黑熊和白犀牛區裝設感測鏡頭，可以精準追蹤到動物在哪裏，同時還能下咒語，把自己變成Q版的犀牛人像，十分有趣。

對著螢幕大喊，沒過多久，螢幕就會出現一個Q版的犀牛人像，仔細看，這隻犀牛的配備跟衣服顏色，就跟螢幕前的人一模一樣。

[[工研院專案副理楊欣怡]]
“這個就是我變成犀牛大使的樣子了，依據我今天的穿著打扮，去幫我生成一隻我變成爪哇犀牛的樣子”

裏頭有五款不同品種的犀牛可做選擇，變身之後，若是不滿造型，還能再更換。

[[民眾]]
“很棒啊，就是它生成真的蠻像的，它會偵測你身上的顏色跟衣服的元素”

[[民眾]]
“我覺得蠻特別的，就是它可以看到你身上穿什麼，然後就直接幫你弄出來，很適合小朋友玩，小朋友玩到真的會很開心”

這是高雄壽山動物園委託工研院所設計的AI智慧環境導覽系統，目前設置在黑熊區和白犀牛區，一開始只是為了要AI幫忙尋找動物，免得找不到動物的遊客好失望。

[[工研院專案副理楊欣怡]]
“我們可以看到熊在哪裡，那我們就可以看到，熊現在躲在黑熊涵洞中，它現在就是躲在我們9號攝影機，有拍到的黑熊涵洞當中”

[[高雄壽山動物園主任莊絢智]]
“因為像我們白犀牛展示區它的範圍蠻大，那所以其實有時候民眾，在我們動物的廊道裡面，他沒辦法及時地看到我們犀牛，那所以透過這一個系統的導入，它可以自動地去判別犀牛的位置，然後自動去追蹤”

系統不只有尋找動物和Q版魔鏡兩種功能，還有隨堂考，測驗大小朋友對動物的知識，透過互動遊戲，達到寓教於樂的目的。

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New Taipei City recently imported giant electric umbrellas from South Korea and installed them on street corners. The contraption automatically opens when it’s hot and sunny to provide shade for pedestrians. Over the past six months, the city’s Transportation Department has been testing them at busy intersections to see whether they can withstand Taiwan’s typhoons and heavy rains.

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When the sun is hot, just walking on the street will leave you drenched in sweat. But now on the streets of New Taipei that’s no problem at all, because a giant umbrella opens right on the sidewalk to block all UV rays.

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It’s pretty useful because the sun is so strong. If I’m waiting for the light, I want to wait there.

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It’s great for this kind of busy intersection. It would be even better if it was for rain too.

This umbrella is a smart sunshade like Korea has in Seoul. New Taipei has been testing them out on two busy intersections that don’t have any natural shade. The umbrella is solar powered and automatically opens when it’s hot and sunny. If it detects heavy rains or strong winds, it will close.

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While the foundation designed in Korea was 45 by 45cm, New Taipei built it at 90 by 90cm. Even with a stronger foundation, the Transportation Department has been testing them for six months to make sure they can withstand Taiwan’s typhoons and heavy rains.

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Feng shui master explains mirrors covering building in Tainan

One residential building in Tainan’s West Central District has the neighbors scratching their heads after 10 convex mirrors were installed on the building’s facade. As the building faces a larger new building, a fortune teller advised that the mirrors were needed to neutralize the negative energy of the other structure’s "knife edge" corner. But over in South District, some residents refused to install traffic mirrors in their neighborhood, fearing they would harm the feng shui. The neighborhood chief instead had to have mirrors custom-made to keep everyone happy.

Stretching from the entrance up to the fourth floor, a row of 10 mirrors are affixed to the outside of this residential building. The peculiar design has left passersby wondering what on earth they could be for.

-It might be to ward off bad energy from the opposite building.
-Have you ever seen something like this before?
-No. It’s weird. I found it weird walking over here.

-It’s strange. It could be blinding if the sun hits them.

Here in Tainan’s West Central District, you can even see the reflection of the opposite building in the mirrors. They may be intended to neutralize the negative energy of the large building’s high wall facing the apartment.

Cheng Kai-tung
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Those born in the Year of the Horse or the Rat will be affected by the malevolent energy of the “knife edge effect” during those years. This energy could lead to injuries or accidents. Sometimes we use other methods to neutralize it.

Wang Chien-hsiung
Tainan Public Works Bureau acting director
As long as they don’t protrude past the road boundary, or the so-called building line, it’s not illegal.

Meanwhile, over in South District, the neighborhood chief wanted to put up some traffic mirrors to address the many accidents at this intersection. But the residents protested, believing they would reflect into their homes and ruin their feng shui. Instead, the chief made his own smaller, cuter version.

Hsu Chih-hsiung
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After speaking with the residents, they ended up being OK with these. It’s really made a difference. Accidents are down.

Whether guarding against invisible “blades” carrying bad energy, or visible blind spots, these mirrors are the talk of Tainan.

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Neighborhoods in the mountains of Taichung will be more connected to city center. More than 20 years since its proposal, the Dongfeng Expressway project has made significant progress. Two key sections of the road were successfully conjoined last April. Meanwhile, the 2km tunnel section is making swift progress. It’s adopted an environmentally conscious construction method using advanced materials. So far, excavation has reached 720m, despite challenging geological conditions. The entire expressway could open in 2029, well ahead of schedule.

Taichung City Government is marking a new milestone in the Dongshi-Fengyuan Life Circle Expressway project, or Dongfeng Expressway in short.

Lu Shiow-yen
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I guarantee that we’ll see through the completion of this expressway, because it’s a lifeline for our residents in the mountainous area, safeguarding their lives and livelihoods.

The expressway’s third- and fourth-tender sections were conjoined at the end of April, 2025, marking a key milestone in transportation for Taichung’s mountainous region. Both Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen and deputy legislative speaker Johnny Chiang witnessed this historic moment.

Lu Shiow-yen
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People’s lives and livelihoods are the most valued, so we are compelled to build this expressway.

In addition to the successful conjoinment, the first-tender section, a tunnel through Gonglaoping Mountain, is also going ahead in full steam. At 2km, it’s the longest tunnel project in Taichung to date. Challenging geological conditions, such as proximity to the Chelungpu Fault, also makes construction all the more difficult.

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#taichung #infrastructure #transportation #construction #東豐快速道路

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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