Earth’s Treasures: Interactive Learning Installations

Earth’s Treasures: Interactive Learning Installations reframe geological education as an embodied, participatory learning experience rather than a passive transmission of scientific facts. This project focuses on the interactive installation system developed for the Earth’s Treasures exhibition, translating complex mineral science into intuitive, playful, and multisensory encounters.
Rather than treating geology as distant or technical knowledge, the interactive experiences position minerals as active agents of everyday civilization, materials that silently shape architecture, infrastructure, and modern life. Through interaction design, motion, light, and narrative, abstract earth systems are transformed into human-scale experiences that visitors can explore, manipulate, and feel.
The interactive system consists of four immersive installations, each addressing a different stage of human–earth engagement:
<< Taiwan Treasure Table >>
A dual-user interactive map that visualizes Taiwan’s mineral distributions through intuitive gestures and bilingual interfaces. Collaborative interaction reframes geology as a shared cultural and territorial narrative rather than isolated datasets.
<< Fluorescent Mineral Quest >>
A motion-tracked UV treasure hunt where visitors use “fluorescent guns” to reveal hidden glowing minerals. By transforming scientific observation into physical exploration, the installation introduces mineral fluorescence through playful discovery.
<< Gold Panning Experience >>
A kinetic and tangible simulation that allows visitors to tilt a digital pan and experience the suspense of gold discovery. Motion-based interaction recreates physical effort and chance, connecting historical mining practices with contemporary digital play.
<< Mineral Refinement Exploration >>
A narrative-driven touchscreen that traces how raw minerals are transformed into glass, steel, and cement—materials fundamental to modern society. Storytelling and visual explanation render invisible industrial processes tangible and meaningful.
Together, these installations form a coherent experiential arc—from uncovering minerals beneath the earth to understanding their refinement and integration into daily life. Interaction is not decorative but epistemic: learning emerges through doing, sensing, and reflecting.
By focusing on embodied interaction rather than didactic explanation, this project demonstrates how interactive installation design can transform earth science education into an emotional, memorable, and culturally resonant experience—deepening public awareness of humanity’s relationship with the planet.