Muabe Motion: “Spreading Interaction Technology That Breathes Life into Content”

- Muabe Motion developed the Quark engine, which allows anyone to easily add 
  interactive elements to existing content, making objects and backgrounds 
  react to user movements.
- The technology leverages AI to automate and simplify the creation of interactive
  content, reducing the need for multiple specialists and enabling quick 
  revisions.
- Muabe Motion has received several awards and is expanding its applications,
  including digital fairytale books and interactive signage, aiming to make
  interaction technology accessible to everyone.


Content has long entertained audiences, and technological advancements have continuously diversified its forms and consumption. Photographs evolved into videos, videos into 3D visuals, and 3D visuals into games and virtual reality. More recently, artificial intelligence has triggered a seismic shift in the content industry, thanks to its remarkable ability to rejuvenate the old, realize the imaginary, and create the unprecedented.

In response, companies are increasingly emerging to integrate AI technology with content. Among them, Muabe Motion, a startup from the Korea University Initial Startup Package program, is focusing on AI-driven ‘Interaction.’ This technology enables objects or backgrounds within content to react to user movements.

Muabe Motion demonstrates 'Quark' on digital signage at the KES 2025. / source=Muabe Motion

Interactive content surpasses static content in terms of engagement and immersion. Static content is limited to predefined sights and sounds, quickly becoming familiar and less interesting after one or two views. In contrast, interactive content reacts in various ways to user movements, offering a novel experience each time as users anticipate how different elements will respond.

The advertising and gaming markets have long recognized the value of interactive content. An interactive anti-smoking advertisement in a non-smoking area, for example, created a significant industry buzz. When a smoker lit a cigarette, the system recognized the smoke and triggered a person on-screen to cough in distress. Reports indicate that nine out of ten smokers who saw the ad extinguished their cigarettes immediately. Today, countless games utilize interaction technology, where characters respond to user touch controls.

A 3D interactive children's book created with Muabe Motion 's technology. / source=Muabe Motion

Muabe Motion ’s CEO, Jae-woong Oh, has been researching and developing game interaction technology for over a decade, actively participating in the open-source software community. Some companies have even applied his open-source interaction development engine to actual games. Upon encountering AI, Oh became convinced the technology would significantly amplify the power of his engine. He subsequently persuaded his long-time developer colleagues to join him, founding Muabe Motion in 2024.

All employees at Muabe Motion are experts with R&D experience in interaction technology. They share a common goal: to ensure this technology is not just a tool for developers, but one that anyone can easily use to enjoy content from a new perspective. United by this vision, they successfully developed the ‘Quark’ interaction content development engine in a short period following the company's establishment.

Using Muabe Motion 's Quark, anyone can easily apply interaction technology to existing content. Take, for example, a ‘photo of an apple and a candle on a table.’ A user can input this photo into Quark and assign desired interactions. They can designate the apple to split in half or change color when clicked, or the candle flame to intensify, extinguish, or change color upon interaction. The same principle applies to drawings and even videos, allowing for free designation of interactions for internal objects and backgrounds.

A 3D dinosaur fossil excavation experience created with Muabe Motion 's interaction technology. / source=Muabe Motion

Of course, technologies to add interaction to content existed before. However, the process was prohibitively expensive in terms of manpower, cost, and time. Consider the previous example: adding interaction required an animator to calculate object movement, a designer to visualize the changing objects, and a developer to assign the actions. Integrating these separate outputs was time-consuming. If revisions were needed, the entire process had to be repeated, and differing visions often led to disjointed results.

With Muabe Motion 's Quark, however, a single content planner can freely designate and easily implement interactions. Revision time is minimal. Most importantly, it perfectly translates the planner's vision into interactive content.

CEO Oh highlights AI as Quark's key differentiator. The AI describes the movement of objects or backgrounds within the content, effectively replacing the roles of the animator and designer. This allows interaction elements to be assigned more quickly, accurately, and efficiently.

Jae-woong Oh presenting at a special session during the 2025 Social Contribution Partners' Day. / source=Muabe Motion

Interaction technology is applicable to all visual content. Muabe Motion is currently conducting a proof-of-concept (POC) for a digital fairytale book using Quark with a major Korean education conglomerate. The process involves inputting 2D fairytale books (in paper or PDF format) into Quark and adding interactive movements to the illustrations on each page, turning them into digital books where characters and backgrounds come alive as designated by the content planner.

Interactive content edited with Muabe Motion Quark can be shared via a URL link. As a web-based service, users can access it and create content with just a PC. Muabe Motion is also set to launch an app service, allowing not just industry professionals but also general consumers to easily enjoy interaction.

Oh sharing best practices at the Open Source Festival 2024. / source=Muabe Motion

The Muabe Motion Quark app, scheduled for release this December, will empower anyone to turn their photos, drawings, and videos into unique interactive content. The app will help parents turn their children's drawings into living digital content, enable video creators to produce responsive content that communicates with subscribers, and allow companies to build customized ads that react differently based on consumer responses.

Oh has received various awards for Muabe Motion Quark. The technology was recognized with the Grand Prize at the KISA Insurtech Hackathon, the Grand Prize at the Open SW Developer Competition, and as a "Top 3 Engine in Northeast Asia" by a Japanese organization. Building on this momentum, Muabe Motion has shown outstanding performance in government support programs, including the "Pre-Startup Package" (selected for Top Honors), the "Initial Startup Package," "TIPS," and "Startup NEST." This success was bolstered by seed investment from the Yoonmin Foundation and support from the Korea University Crimson Startup Support Group. The company has also generated revenue through a platform construction project for the Ministry of National Defense.

Muabe Motion receiving the Seoul Regional SMEs and Startups Administration Commissioner's Award (Pre-Startup Package division) at the 2024 Seoul Area Startup Meeting. / source=Muabe Motion

Thanks to these achievements, Muabe Motion is conducting various POCs beyond the aforementioned digital fairytale book, including projects with character companies and for digital interactive signage. The company plans to leverage these references to tackle future challenges, such as expanding its interaction technology into new domains and promoting the adoption of the Quark engine.

Oh stated, "We will breathe life into the static digital world and create moments where technology becomes art and emotion moves."


By Joo-kyung Cha (racingcar@itdonga.com)