Music video and debut album out Thursday; 50 robot motions and performance data to be made public

KPR uses robots as new content medium; subsidiary Brightbell handles development

[Provided by KPR]
[Provided by KPR]

KPR, a comprehensive communications group, launched robot artist group CHICHI&KIKI on Thursday in collaboration with its subsidiary Brightbell Creative Group. The project marks KPR's first venture into using robots as a content and media platform.

CHICHI&KIKI centers on humanoid robot CHICHI and quadruped performer KIKI, with dual-arm robot LOG joining as a guest drummer. The group released its debut album, "VERSION 1.0: HELLO, WORLD!," on music streaming platforms Thursday, with the music video posted to the group's official Instagram and YouTube channels. The album contains three tracks: "MAGIC.EXE," "TUTORIAL" and "PATCH NOTES."

KPR plans to release 50 robot motion types and approximately nine minutes of performance data from the album's three tracks for use by developers and researchers. The data — including raw motion data captured from human movement or designed directly, motion data converted to match each robot's joint structure, and reinforcement learning data and outputs — will be published on the official website and GitHub.

Technology development and content production were handled by Brightbell, a KPR subsidiary specializing in digital transformation. The company oversaw the entire production process, from project planning and robot control and motion development to performance software, music, choreography and character design.

Brightbell developed a dedicated performance system to synchronize three structurally different robots to a single piece of music. Because each robot has a distinct physical structure and movement profile, the team had to account not only for individual motions but also for performance timing and stage positioning. The system was also designed to sustain balance and placement for each robot throughout performances lasting more than three minutes while maintaining continuous choreography and scene transitions. The final performance was completed through repeated simulation and real-robot testing.

The company also developed four proprietary software tools: a musical instrument studio for generating drum-playing motions in sync with music; a choreography design studio for the quadruped robot; an integrated studio for simulating all three robots simultaneously; and an integrated controller for managing start, transition and stop commands during live performances.

The project originated at a KPR in-house hackathon in January and was formalized into a task force in April, after which the team proceeded with robot control and motion development, music and choreography production, and character and world-building design. CHICHI&KIKI plans to share music, performances and behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage on its official Instagram and YouTube channels.


andy@heraldcorp.com