Kia Europe has launched Kia Soundscapes, a groundbreaking initiative that transforms natural landscapes into symphonic music. Developed in partnership with creative agency INNOCEAN Berlin and music studio DaHouse, the project is designed to offer visually impaired passengers a new way to experience the beauty of road trips—through sound.”At Kia, we believe movement inspires ideas, so we wanted to give passengers with visual impairments the opportunity to experience the world differently,” commented David Hilbert, Marketing Director at Kia Europe. “With Kia Soundscapes, we are making mobility more accessible and using it to inspire the world.”
The Science Behind the Music
Studies have shown that in people who are blind, music can activate the visual cortex—an area of the brain usually responsible for processing sight. Building on this insight, Kia Soundscapes uses visual data from a car’s camera system to generate music in real time.
The project was filmed outside Santiago, Chile, where Kia’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) captured visual elements like mountains, trees, and motion. These visual cues were then mapped to musical components using AI. For instance, soft woodwinds represented trees and shrubs, deep tones echoed mountainous terrain, and changes in driving speed altered the tempo and mood of the music.
Bringing the Journey to Life
The experiment resulted in two short documentary films that premiered in April. Kia also plans to release the original musical compositions on its website. While Kia Soundscapes is not intended as a commercial product, it serves as a powerful artistic exploration of how technology can expand sensory experiences for all.
