[Dippy]

Road trips hit differently for visually impaired people. They mostly experience the sights and scenery through the narration of a fellow passenger or the driver. Now Kia is experimenting with a new technology that could change how these individuals experience road trips.

Kia Europe, in collaboration with marketing agency INNOCEAN Europe, has developed Kia Soundscapes, an artistic experiment that translates landscapes into symphonic compositions. Through this, visually impaired people will be able to experience journeys in a new way, where sounds will evoke what can’t be seen.

And there is a science behind this. Research shows that music activates the visual cortex in blind individuals. This area of the brain is typically reserved for sight and perception. Inspired by this, Kia Soundscapes uses advanced AI technology to convert visual inputs from a car’s sensors and cameras into musical compositions. “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 execute this project, Kia used the car’s ADAS cameras to capture images of the landscape, and paired the visual input, such as trees, mountains, and speed, with corresponding musical elements. AI then created a dynamic soundtrack that evolved with the changing scenery. For example, trees and shrubbery were translated into soft woodwind instruments, mountains were turned into deep, resonant tones, and vehicle speed changed the tempo and tone of the composition.

The experiment culminated in two short documentary films. Apart from this, Kia plans to release the original compositions on its website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsQr...NvdW5kc2NhcGVz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adeU...NvdW5kc2NhcGVz

Kia has made it clear that Soundscapes is just an artistic experiment and not a commercial feature. However, it shows what advancements in AI will bring to drivers and passengers in a vehicle, including visually impaired people.

Link to Team BHP news