Kia Soundcapes

Inspiration doesn’t simply appear; it is born from movement, from the pulse of experience. This sensation should be felt by everyone, especially by those who have yet to feel its power.

Guided by this philosophy, Kia and Innocean Berlin have launched Soundscapes—an experiment in which the car’s AI system translates the topography of landscapes into music, opening new ways to experience the world.

“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 vision to life, Innocean Berlin collaborated with creative coder Harald Schaack from grotesk.group to leverage the Kia EV9's ADAS system, capturing every element of the landscape surrounding the car.

They then partnered with music producer Wonder Bettin from DaHouse GmbH to assign specific sounds to natural objects, based on how certain timbres naturally evoke ideas of size, texture, and movement.

“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” – Wonder Bettin, Music Producer, DaHouse.

During the experiment, the car’s AI system translates its surroundings into sound. The composed music captures the essence of the environment, creating a fully immersive experience for everyone inside.

To showcase the experiment, Kia took two passengers who have vision loss on a road trip through some of the world’s most stunning landscapes. Their emotional reactions to experiencing movement and gaining inspiration for the first time were captured in short documentary films.

"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." – Gabriel Mattar, CCO, Innocean Berlin.