Visitors Enjoy Annotating Capybara Behavior Data! átoa × Kobe Digital Lab Launch First-Ever AI Interactive Exhibit to Participate in Aquarium Research (AI Ecological Observation Project Developed by Student Interns)
Kobe Digital Lab and átoa Aquarium launch a unique interactive exhibit where visitors experience AI annotation using capybara behavior data, helping with research while providing a real-world project for interns.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: March 30, 2026 at 22:56 (2h 56m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 14:46 (543h 50m after Collected)
Kobe Digital Lab Co., Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo; President and CEO: Shinichi Tamaki; hereinafter "KDL"), which handles the development of systems utilizing AI, is holding its first trial exhibition where visitors to the theatrical aquarium 'átoa' (Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo; Director: Hiromi Nakayama; hereinafter "átoa") can participate in a demonstration experiment of ecological observation utilizing AI, undertaken jointly with átoa.
This exhibition is implemented as a special project to liven up átoa's 5th-anniversary year. Through the exhibition, visitors can experience 'annotation (*1)'—which is necessary for AI learning—and at the same time, it is a new interactive exhibition where they can participate in the aquarium's research activities.
## Demonstration Experiment of Ecological Observation Utilizing AI
At átoa, we are engaged not only in the rearing and exhibition of living creatures but also in the ecological investigation and research of living creatures. By analyzing the behavior of reared creatures, we hoped to improve the rearing environment and exhibitions; however, there was an issue that it is a heavy burden for animal keepers to constantly observe and record the behavior of the creatures in parallel with their daily duties.
On the other hand, at KDL, while accepting internships as an initiative for human resource development and employment promotion in local Kobe, there was an issue of wanting to provide students with a more attractive internship environment.
As an initiative to solve the issues of both parties, a joint demonstration experiment was started in April 2023. Using data actually acquired at the aquarium, students participating in KDL's internship, under the guidance of KDL engineers, are developing AI and AI-utilized solutions to track, record, and visualize the behavior of the reared animals.
In the demonstration experiment, data is acquired in a way that minimizes stress on the creatures and impact on the rearing environment. The capybara exhibition area is filmed with cameras installed on the ceiling, recording their daytime behavioral activities as videos. Based on these videos, the AI model (*2) is being tuned so that the AI can identify and track behaviors such as the location and movement of the capybaras in the exhibition area in real time. What is necessary for this is "annotation."
## Exhibition
This exhibition is implemented as a special project to liven up átoa's 5th-anniversary year. Through the exhibition, visitors can experience 'annotation (*1)'—which is necessary for AI learning—and at the same time, it is a new interactive exhibition where they can participate in the aquarium's research activities.
## Demonstration Experiment of Ecological Observation Utilizing AI
At átoa, we are engaged not only in the rearing and exhibition of living creatures but also in the ecological investigation and research of living creatures. By analyzing the behavior of reared creatures, we hoped to improve the rearing environment and exhibitions; however, there was an issue that it is a heavy burden for animal keepers to constantly observe and record the behavior of the creatures in parallel with their daily duties.
On the other hand, at KDL, while accepting internships as an initiative for human resource development and employment promotion in local Kobe, there was an issue of wanting to provide students with a more attractive internship environment.
As an initiative to solve the issues of both parties, a joint demonstration experiment was started in April 2023. Using data actually acquired at the aquarium, students participating in KDL's internship, under the guidance of KDL engineers, are developing AI and AI-utilized solutions to track, record, and visualize the behavior of the reared animals.
In the demonstration experiment, data is acquired in a way that minimizes stress on the creatures and impact on the rearing environment. The capybara exhibition area is filmed with cameras installed on the ceiling, recording their daytime behavioral activities as videos. Based on these videos, the AI model (*2) is being tuned so that the AI can identify and track behaviors such as the location and movement of the capybaras in the exhibition area in real time. What is necessary for this is "annotation."
## Exhibition