The Guangzhou Zoo is the largest of its kind in South China, and is a prominent attraction for locals and tourists alike. There’s plenty to be seen at the Guangzhou Zoo, but among its most popular attractions are its pandas. Just like museums are taking advantage of emerging technologies, the Guangzhou Zoo is looking to embrace Virtual Reality in the coming days.
Guangzhou Zoo has been open for 60 years now, but even at their age it’s never too late to introduce new technology.
On January 1st, 2018, Guangzhou Zoo will be introducing Virtual Reality to its zoo. Specifically, this will manifest in the form of VR headsets that allow visitors to see and interact with all kinds of animals, including ones that are prehistoric and extinct. By adding an extra level of interaction to the Zoo, children and other visitors will be able to safely interact with animals in a way they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
In addition to an on-site VR implementation, Chen Zujin (an employee working at the Zoo) says that an online channel will be launching as well. The specifics of this, unfortunately, aren’t clear in any of the stories we’ve been able to find, but it could be a way of making Guangzhou’s VR Zoo attraction available to anyone around the world with a VR headset.
As a tool to encourage more engagement at the Zoo, how do you think VR will fare? Would you like to see more AR and VR implementations at Zoos, museums and similar locations? Comment below and let us give us your thoughts.
