[AI Revolution](208) Movin Captivates NVIDIA: "Innovating Motion Capture with LiDAR"

Four KAIST Alumni Found a Startup
Interview with Choi Byeol, CEO of Movin

"We are pioneering a LiDAR-based motion data platform unlike anything the world has seen before."

Within just three years of its founding, a domestic startup led by four KAIST alumni has secured around 5 billion won in investment and became the world’s first motion capture company to be selected as an official launch partner by NVIDIA. The company is Movin. Initially focused on digitizing human movement and developing the most sophisticated AI technologies for realistic implementation, Movin is now expanding its work into the field of physical AI.

Choi Byeol and CEO Moobin are having an interview with The Asia Business Daily. Photo by Dongju Yoon

During a recent interview at the NAVER 1784 office building, Movin CEO Choi Byeol said, "Motion capture is the only way to obtain motion data. While our starting point was the content market, there is now rising demand for motion data to train humanoids in the field of physical AI," adding, "We aim to create a new communication environment within today’s text-, image-, and video-focused physical AI market by enabling machines to understand human body language."

The typical scene of dozens of cameras set up in a studio, while a subject dons an optical suit and sensors to record movement, is familiar from the production of movies and games. However, this method is expensive and spatially restrictive. Movin is shaking the global market by overcoming these technical bottlenecks using only a combination of 3D LiDAR and 2D cameras.

Choi emphasized, "Movin is the only company in the world able to combine LiDAR and cameras to derive motion data in a markerless, equipment-free state," and added, "By running our proprietary on-device AI models on the chip inside the device, we have eliminated the need for separate graphics processing units (GPUs) or cloud expenses." Movin is currently showcasing its second-generation technology, which not only emphasizes convenience but also enables real-time scanning of space and object interaction outdoors without any light constraints, following the first generation.

In practice, Movin has reduced conventional motion capture costs—which can rise to several hundred million won depending on scale—to one-tenth. The market responded immediately. Since the release of its first-generation product in August of last year, the company has recorded sales in 21 countries. Notably, 70% of this revenue has come from overseas, with 50% from North America and 25% from Japan, according to Choi. She also noted that the company holds patents for its AI algorithms and motion capture technology in Korea, the United States, and Europe.

Choi Byul-ee, CEO of Moovin, is explaining about 'MOVIN TRACIN' during an interview with The Asia Business Daily. Photo by Dong-ju Yoon

Movin is also distinguishing itself in what CEO Choi calls the "Warring States period" of physical AI. Earlier this year, the company was selected as a launch partner for SOMA, NVIDIA’s standard human model for physical AI. Movin has integrated Isaac Sim, NVIDIA's robot simulation platform, into the data streaming pipeline of its LiDAR-based motion capture solution, Movin Tracin, so that it can be applied directly to SOMA. Through this process, Movin secured early access from NVIDIA. At the same time, the company signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with global humanoid firm Didin Robotics—to develop and validate a data pipeline for robot learning using Movin’s technology, after being highlighted by NVIDIA.

Choi also explained that LiDAR, the core of their technology, holds a competitive edge in another area of physical AI—autonomous driving. She said, "LiDAR is laser-based and measures 3D depth in real time, providing information beyond object detection by delivering additional movement-based data," emphasizing, "It is more accurate than Tesla’s vision sensors."

She further added that Movin actively outsources design and manufacturing to focus on technological development and business growth. "To maximize the value of our core technology, we are collaborating with U.S. tech giants that have vast capital markets and robust platform infrastructure," Choi said. "We aim to develop our 3D LiDAR motion data acquisition technology into a new type of motion interface that will allow users to control TVs, game consoles, and other devices at home—without the need for a remote control."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.