Taiwan's innovative technology has once again earned international recognition! As immersive experiences increasingly become a new trend in the culture and entertainment industries, achieving more real-time, more immersive virtual-real interaction has become a key challenge. Under the guidance of the Administration for Digital Industries, Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Institute for Information Industry (III) developed the "AI Edge-XR Fusion Sphere", an Edge AI-driven XR immersive interactive communication system. Through AI recognition and generation technology, the system creates a zero-latency, fully integrated virtual-real interactive experience. It stood out among hundreds of innovative technologies from 20 countries to win the Bronze Award in the Lifestyle, Entertainment and Design category of the 39th Edison Awards — often dubbed the "Oscars of Innovation" — demonstrating Taiwan's innovative strength in cultural technology and immersive experience applications
As XR applications continue to develop rapidly in Taiwan, immersive interaction that fails to overcome network latency and interaction desynchronization issues can significantly undermine the user experience. Developed by the III team, the "AI Edge-XR Fusion Sphere" is a GAI-based multimedia fusion interactive system. In the past, setting up a single multimedia interactive scenario typically required at least half a day to complete sensor calibration, interaction logic configuration, AI model deployment, content generation testing, and synchronized integration across different terminals such as LED walls and mobile phones. With this system, the entire process can be compressed from 12 hours to under 80 minutes — a ninefold reduction in deployment time. From sensor signal input and AI model inference to 4K content generation, the entire pipeline runs seamlessly, significantly improving deployment efficiency and real-time performance capability for immersive interactive applications.
This system can support interactive services for venues accommodating up to 10,000 people, improving experience stability by 30% while cutting deployment costs by 40%. It has pioneered large-scale, high-quality immersive experiences in Taiwan, earning high praise from the judges and highlighting the nation's innovative strength in AI edge computing, real-time communication integration, and digital content generation.
The "AI Edge-XR Fusion Sphere" has also been widely applied in the performing arts. Unlike in the past, when audiences could only experience music purely through hearing, III partnered with the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) and the Taipei Male Choir to bring the technology into the 5G immersive performance A Toast to Life. Using AI vocal-print real-time visualization technology, the system analyzes the volume, frequency, and timbre of the singers' voices in real time and instantly translates them into dynamic visual imagery, allowing the audience to experience sound and image woven together simultaneously — creating "music you can see" and pioneering a new model for the digital transformation of traditional performing arts.
In terms of applications in cultural venues, this technology has also driven a range of boundary-breaking innovations in tech-enabled entertainment. At the Taiwan Lantern Festival, for example, III built a 5G XR LED mobile stage paired with a mobile performance vehicle styled after a 1950s-era theater, creating a movable immersive performance space.
Through XR interactive technology, visitors on site could instantly transform into on-screen characters from movies like Seediq Bale, Zone Pro Site, Man in Love, and Barkley the Cat, shifting from passive viewers to co-creating participants, and greatly enhancing the interactivity and sense of engagement in the cultural experience.
Dr. Chun-I Fan, President of III, noted that the "AI Edge-XR Fusion Sphere" features a modular design that allows for rapid deployment across cultural performances, tourism activities, and a wide range of venues, with an estimated 50% reduction in deployment time and lower implementation costs for businesses. He emphasized that this mature, diverse track record of real-world implementation was the key factor behind the technology's international award recognition. Looking ahead, III will continue to connect with industry partners across 5G integration, XR content production, and satellite communications to build a cross-domain application ecosystem. Through performances and cultural tourism, III hopes to further drive the international export of Taiwan's IT services and content industry solutions, ultimately achieving the goal of benefiting the public.