Observed Signal · Sep 19, 2023 · Technical Release · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive

dentsu Lab Tokyo makes brain signals visible via avatar

Executive Signal Summary

At the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, dentsu Lab Tokyo premiered 'Project Humanity', a groundbreaking demonstration making human brain signals visible through an avatar. Former DJ Masatane Muto, who suffers from ALS, played a 30-minute music set live from Tokyo using only his eye movements. Eye-tracking software converted his eye movements into music, transmitted in real time to instruments in Linz. A hologram of his metaverse avatar danced on stage, with all movements controlled by his brain via electromyography signals relayed through transponders. The project showcases a future where people with physical limitations control avatars in the metaverse using thought. dentsu Lab Tokyo, an R&D team belonging to the global agency network dentsu, aims to give people affected by illness access to creative and professional opportunities through technology.

Polaris7 AgentPolaris7 Strategic Assessment
High Confidence

Demonstrates innovative agency-led technology for accessibility and metaverse communication, but has limited direct impact on core advertising technology operations.

SIGNAL RADAR

Track dentsu Signals & Market Shifts in Real-Time

Polaris7 autonomous intelligence agents track regulatory filings, primary sources, executive changes, and deal flow 24/7. Create your free Explorer workspace to monitor these entities.

Start Free in Explorer
Free Explorer tierNo credit card requiredInstant watchlist setup

Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding

  • dentsu Lab Tokyo presented 'Project Humanity' at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz
  • Former DJ Masatane Muto, who has ALS, played a 30-minute music set using only eye movements
  • Electromyography signals from Muto's brain controlled a holographic avatar in real time via transponders
  • The demonstration highlights potential thought-controlled avatar communication in the metaverse
  • Masatane Muto was connected live via video call from Tokyo

Connected Companies & Entities

1 Entity mapped

“Das dentsu Lab Tokyo ist ein Forschungs- und Entwicklungsteam mit Sitz in Japan und gehört zum internationalen Agenturnetzwerk dentsu, das e...”

Primary Source Grounding & Direct Attribution
Direct Origin Attribution
Primary Reporting: Trending Topics•Published: Sep 19, 2023
Original Coverage Title: “Weltpremiere: dentsu Lab Tokyo macht Hirnsignale mittels Avatar bei Festival sichtbar”

Related Market Signals & Shifts

Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.

Agentic AdvertisingOct 8, 2026

Agencies Push Agentic Media, Address Client Rogue Fears

At Advertising Week, media agencies are advancing agentic advertising initiatives while addressing client concerns about rogue AI activity. Dentsu's Carat partnered with NBCUniversal, Freewheel, and Newton to launch a planning, buying, and optimization agent for upfront investments, with a luxury retail client already using it. Tinuiti launched a 'Bliss Point Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server' to integrate measurement with AI agents. Stagwell relaunched Assembly as Stagwell Media with its agentic system Machine OS. Executives emphasize human oversight, governance, and approval thresholds to build trust. Additionally, the article discusses the importance of 'moments' in commerce media, with examples from ExxonMobil, Dollar General, and Pepsi's Nordic campaign with Wolt.

Read assessment
B2B Marketing StrategyOct 7, 2026

LinkedIn says don't treat leads as finish in B2B

At LinkedIn's B2Believe event in its new Empire State Building space, executives and practitioners called for a shift from lead-centric B2B marketing to a 'full journey' approach that links signals, targeting, creative, full journey, and measurement. Jae Oh, senior director of product management, revealed that fewer than 10% of upper-funnel audiences make it into bottom-funnel campaigns, urging marketers to connect awareness with demand capture. Research from LinkedIn's B2B Institute with eMarketer showed 77% of marketers say they no longer target individuals, yet only 31% have a playbook for activating audiences down the funnel. Practitioners from Canva, SAP, Mastercard, and others shared examples of aligning marketing and sales on common signals. LinkedIn also outlined a product roadmap focused on cost-per-opportunity targeting, multi-format campaigns, agentic workflows, and incrementality forecasting.

Read assessment
AgencyOct 6, 2026

Stagwell Media Launches as Global Media Agency

Stagwell, the challenger agency network, has launched a new global media agency, Stagwell Media, which will be built on the foundation of its existing performance marketing agency Assembly. The new agency will be led by Liz Rutgersson, who recently joined as Assembly's CEO. Rutgersson emphasized that Stagwell Media is not an umbrella brand and that other Stagwell agencies like Crispin and Gale will continue to operate independently. The launch comes as competitors like WPP have consolidated their media offerings into umbrella brands. Rutgersson stated the new agency aims to fill a gap between traditional, complex agency models and fragmented specialist providers, with a strong focus on agentic AI and speaking to machines, not just human audiences. The announcement was made during Advertising Week New York.

Read assessment

Track Real-Time Market Signals & Shifts

Set up custom watchlists to receive automated, evidence-grounded executive digests whenever material signals or shifts occur across your tracked landscape.