Berlin: In a compelling fusion of technology, music, and purpose-driven innovation, Kia Europe and Innocean Berlin have unveiled Soundscapes — an experimental journey designed to transform how we perceive movement and the environment. The initiative aims to create a more inclusive and emotionally resonant travel experience, especially for those with vision loss.
At the heart of Soundscapes lies a bold idea: turning landscapes into music. Powered by the advanced AI system in the Kia EV9, the experiment captures the natural surroundings using the vehicle’s ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and translates them into a rich, immersive soundscape — offering a novel sensory experience for all passengers.
“At Kia, we believe movement inspires ideas, so we wanted to give visually impaired passengers the opportunity to experience the world differently,” commented David Hilbert, Marketing Director at Kia Europe. “With Kia Soundscapes, we are exploring how technology can tear down barriers and help us create a more inclusive and accessible world.”
To bring this concept to life, Innocean Berlin partnered with Harald Schaack, creative coder from grotesk.group, to engineer the system that maps visual cues into musical elements. In tandem, music producer Wonder Bettin from DaHouse GmbH crafted a sonic language where sounds are assigned to natural objects based on timbre, evoking the size, texture, and movement of the landscape.
“Music holds limitless potential to inspire in ways previously unexplored. Through hearing, it awakens the imagination in ways other senses cannot, offering fresh perspectives on familiar things,” shared Wonder Bettin, Music Producer at DaHouse.
The result is a dynamic, AI-generated composition that evolves with the terrain — from soaring mountain ranges to winding coastal roads — enabling passengers to “hear” the world in motion.
In a moving showcase of the experiment, Kia invited two individuals with vision loss to embark on a road trip through some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes. Their emotional responses and newfound inspiration were documented in a short film series, illustrating the impact of technology when used with empathy and creativity.
“Soundscapes allows people to experience the world in a completely new way. It embodies Kia’s philosophy of ‘Movement that Inspires’ and reflects our dedication to innovation and creating meaningful experiences,” said Gabriel Mattar, CCO, Innocean Berlin.
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