Ketaverse Team (1st Term) and K-Wheely Team (2nd Term) from the Graduate School of Metaverse

Win the Metaverse Content Idea and Collaboration Model Contests

▲ Lee Su-jin, Seo Soo-min, Do Kwan-mok on team Ketaverse of the 1st term

Kim Han-eol, Oh Dong-hoon, Lee Yoon-seo on team K-Wheely of the 2nd term (from left)

The two graduate student teams of the 1st and the 2nd terms of the Graduate School of Metaverse at Sogang University won the Metaverse Content Idea and Collaboration Model Contest hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the Metaverse Content Idea and Collaboration Model Contest to raise public interest in metaverse content and to identify and expand upon good ideas and success models that can be applied to policy. The contest was divided into two categories: ① the Metaverse Content Idea for Experiencing Korean Culture Contest and ② the Collaboration Model of Metaverse Content Production Contest.

The team Ketaverse of the 1st term of the Graduate School of Metaverse (Lee Su-jin, Seo Soo-min, and Do Kwan-mok) was the winner of the Metaverse Content Idea for Experiencing Korean Culture Contest. The team proposed metaverse fitness content under the theme "K-HEALTHY POP! Metaverse Fitness Content" which serves as a remote model to draw interest into K-Pop while improving health by incorporating in a physical exercise component.

K-HEALTHY POP is an AR dance simulation game that consists of 3D avatar K-POP dance video clips and an AR dance rhythm game. Using the video-based 2D Pose Estimation technology, the game tracks user motion and provides feedback about their accuracy in mimicking the displayed dance moves. The game also syncs with activity tracking applications in mobile devices and smartwatches. Users can learn K-POP point choreography by playing the game. They can also record and share their own AR dance video clips easily, establishing a framework that enables the voluntarily spread K-content. Compared to similar content on the market, it has three advantages: ▲ Video-based motion recognition that does not require a separate device, ▲ Specialization in K-POP, ▲ and Positive impact on health. The team received a content production fund of 20 million won for their idea. The members plan to develop an implementation plan by the end of November this year.

▲ “K-HEALTHY POP! Metaverse Fitness Content" of team Ketaverse of the 1st term

The team K-Wheely of the 2nd term of the Graduate School of Metaverse (Kangsters: Kim Han-eol, Oh Dong-hoon, Lee Yoon-seo) won the Collaboration Model of Metaverse Content Production Content after submitting their proposal which combines a wheelchair treadmill known as K-Wheely with local Korea culture. They developed plans for a metaverse racing game which enables the user to experience Korean culture and exercise in a fun way, based on a device called "Wheely-X," which is a wheelchair treadmill developed by Kangsters.

This metaverse content, with the its innovative K-Wheely solution, enables wheelchair users with limited mobility to exercise and experience local Korean attractions at the same time. In particular, this content will be released to the world by Kangsters as more than just a concept. This collaboration model will be jointly developed by the Graduate School of Metaverse and Kangsters, receiving 50 million won in funding for content production.

▲ "Combination of a wheelchair treadmill, K-Wheely with local Korean attractions metaverse content" of team K-Wheely of the 2nd term

"Winning the award in both fields proves our status as a global leader in fostering top-level talents and the excellence of education," said Hyun Dai-won, the dean of the Graduate School of Metaverse of Sogang University. "We will support and encourage our students to the fullest for the best outcomes."