The Campaign

Kids love to play, build and make things - it's how they learn best. So, we wanted to use innovative technology in a hands-on way to bring space a little bit closer. Being the home of origami, Japanese school children are well versed in paper craft. We thought combining this old tradition with the new technology of VR was the perfect way to show students how many amazing applications science has in space. JAXA and Google created KIBO SCIENCE 360 - the first ever VR Cardboard Space Helmet that turns anyone into an astronaut. The helmet was created from a single piece of cardboard that can be assembled like origami. Decal packs were included to personalize the helmets with once built. Google Cardboard is built into the visor. Simply insert your smartphone and get ready to travel to the International Space Station and conduct experiments alongside Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi.

Creative Execution

To get this project out to schools, museums and into the hands of kids we had to leverage everything we had - lucky we had space! We hand delivered the helmet to key science and technology influencers in Japan and conducted a live YouTube stream with Takuya Onishi direct from the ISS on October 26, 2016 - to make this happen the launch date and timing had to be extremely precise!! The livestream was hosted by YouTube creator Hajime-Shacho and astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and hosted at Tsukuba Space Center. We invited 10 top students to receive their very own helmet and ask Onishi himself questions about life in space. Furthermore we sent hundreds of branded Kibo 360 Google Cardboard viewers to schools across Japan. The helmet and experience was featured in a special exhibition at the Miraikan, Japan’s most popular science museum, and now lives at JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Centre.

Results

The livestream with Astronaut Onishi and its teaser was viewed over 1.6 million times, and the project even made it onto the national news. The experience and special Cardboard viewers we distributed to hundreds of schools around the country. The helmet was so popular that a special DIY helmet template was made available for kids to download, print and assemble themselves from the campaign site. The Kibo Science 360 helmets and experience were featured in a special week long exhibition at the Miraikan, Japan's top science museum. Now the experience lives as an exhibit at JAXA's Tsukuba Space Centre - visited by thousands of school children every single month.

We created the first ever Cardboard Space Helmet and VR experience that was used to reignite interest in space exploration amongst young people. The solution was purposely designed to be cheap and accessible, the helmets were delivered to key science and technology influencers across Japan and 1000 branded Kibo Science 360 Google Cardboard viewers were also sent to schools - all kids and teachers needed to do was download a simple app before blasting off into space.

In 2012, JAXA partnered Google partnered to create the world’s first live Google Hangout from Space. School children from all around Japan could ask Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide questions as he orbited above them at 27,000 kph. In July 2016, another Astronaut, Takuya Onishi, was headed to the ISS. Things have changed a lot since 2012, so in addition to another Live Stream, we wanted to make use of the latest Google technology to actually send students up to the ISS with him. By building upon the cheap and accessible Google Cardboard VR platform, we were able to create the world’s first Cardboard Space Helmet. The helmets are created from a single piece of cardboard and can be assembled like origami and customized, making them an ideal classroom activity. Once inside the helmet, children are immersed and taken onboard the ISS to conduct experiments in space alongside Onishi.