Dentsu Inc. Develops New Technology "MotionScore" for Reproducing and Editing CG Character and Robot Movements

On March 9, Dentsu Lab Tokyo—a production group within Dentsu Inc. focused on developing new expressions driven by technology—announced the development of "MotionScore" (patent pending), a new technology enabling flexible and efficient editing and playback of motion data. This data represents the movements of CG characters and robots.
Unlike traditional methods that record and manage CG character or robot movements as a sequence of images (frames) like a flipbook, "MotionScore" records and manages poses at each tempo by symbolizing them, similar to musical notation in music.
Crucially, when editing motion data synchronized with music (BGM), "MotionScore" can be embedded into the international music data standard "MIDI." This allows CG characters and robots to perfectly reproduce motions matched to the tempo, even when switching to music with different tempos, dramatically improving editing efficiency and freedom. Furthermore, it enables previously difficult collaborations, such as live performances combined with dances performed by CG characters/robots, or on-the-spot dance arrangements by a "Dance Jockey" (someone who choreographs and plays dance footage live), rather than a traditional DJ. Additionally, its application in dance education based on professional choreography is also being considered.
As the first application, its adoption by a DJ equipment manufacturer has already been decided. It has been entered into the international competition "ReleaseIt at SXSW" at the world's largest IT technology exhibition "SXSW" (South by Southwest), held in Austin, Texas, USA, from March 11th to 20th. It was selected as the first Japanese company finalist (the final judging is scheduled for March 11th).
Furthermore, at this year's SXSW, during the SXSW Trade Show held from March 13 to 16, a demonstration will be conducted where CG characters dance in sync with Yamaha's technology, which sequentially detects BPM (Beats Per Minute = a unit indicating tempo) from audio data.
Dentsu Inc. envisions applying this new technology, which can flexibly reproduce not only music but also rhythmic human movements like walking, to human augmentation (technology that extends human capabilities through machines), such as walking support. They see potential for future application in the medical field.
Moving forward, Dentsu Inc. will collaborate with hardware and software manufacturers focused on CG character and robot motion to further evolve and develop "MotionScore," promoting activities to spread its adoption throughout society.
Reference footage of "MotionScore" is available on Web Dentsu Inc. News: http://dentsu-inc.com/articles/3781で閲覧できる.

Dentsu Inc. News Release: http://www.dentsu.co.jp/news/release/2016/0309-008704.html