On September 10th, Hsinchu County Anime Education Center was officially inaugurated as a splendid Taiko performance was presented by the students from Chung Shan Elementary School. The center is nicknamed "No. 68 Planet" since the number "68" is included in both its address and the name of the main road connecting to it. Hsinchu County Magistrate Chiu Ching-chun visited the center and experienced what new technologies would bring. He hoped that anime education could become accessible to young pupils and establish its foundation through the combination of diverse information technologies, such as 3D, AR and VR.
To make Hsinchu County a base for anime in Taiwan, Hsinchu County Government has not only turned Zhudong Railway Station to an anime park, but also set up a comic museum in Neiwan Elementary School. In addition, the county government has shot for a subsidy of NTD 8 million, along with NTD 1 million raised itself, to establish Hsinchu County Anime Education Center in Hsinchu County Education Development and Information Institute(HCEDII). It is hoped that the quality of education in Hsinchu County can be further improved so that the students can learn and grow more.
Director of Hsinchu County Government Education Department Liu Ming-chao indicated that "No. 68 Planet" is located mainly at the lobby and the 3rd Lecture Hall of HCEDII. Visitors can experience the motion sensing input device via the motion detection technology. In addition, the procedure of 3D anime production is introduced to assist students as well as teachers with their designs, while Markerless Augmented Reality (AR) technology is applied for interactive teaching.
In the Star Theater, people who wear a VR headset is allowed to enter a simulated three-dimensional space, where self-learning can occur with the help of a controller or keyboard. Besides, Da Vinci's Classroom, a classroom for anime creation, is equipped with state-of-the-art graphic design software and hardware, which are able to integrate digitized 2D or 3D anime creations with spatial sound effects. The classroom becomes a desirable place for training sessions with a view to nurturing more next-generation anime talent. In R3 Workshop, people can produce AR/VR/MR related designs, including 3D scan, 3D modeling, 3D printing, laser cutting and animation design.
Director-General of K-12 Education Administration, MOE, Chiu Chien-kuo showed that interdisciplinary learning, especially technology and art, is greatly emphasized in the curriculum guideline of the 12-year compulsory education. He recognized the practical effectiveness achieved by Hsinchu County Government and hoped the development of its technology industry could keep thriving with the establishment of the Anime Education Center. Head of Institute for Information Industry Tsai Yi-chang also said that Hsinchu County has had the hardware in place, and it is time to focus on the software and students' creativity. The Anime Education Center just provides students with a great learning environment.