‘Don’t Think, Feel!’: Zoo Learning Support Based on Real Body Interaction with Virtual Environment
Abstract: A developed prototype of a zoo learning-support system that enables children to learn through body movements is presented. The zoo is an important place for children’s science education outside of school. However, zoo learning methods are predominantly limited to exhibits and placard and audio explanations. Moreover, when children desire to observe animals that are hiding, they can neither observe nor touch them. Therefore, a body-experience-based learning-support system for zoo applications is proposed. The system measures the learners’ body movements using a sensor. It provides a sense of immersion in the environments in which the animals live by adapting to the surroundings based on these movements. In the first stage of this project, we developed a prototype that enables learners to “jump with animals” and thereby efficiently learn the physical animal characteristics. In this paper, we describe the results of an experimental evaluation conducted on the prototype at Zoo.