In 2020, e‑commerce boomed, ushering in an era of “everything can be sold and everyone can go live”. Celebrities, internet influencers and enterprise leaders stepped into live‑stream sales, including Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, Luo Yonghao, an early‑generation online celebrity, and Dong Mingzhu, Chairperson of Gree Electric. Their participation decentralized the live‑stream industry while triggering fiercer competition and reshaping its competitive landscape.

Virtual idols emerged as new‑comers to live‑streaming. Well‑known anime‑style virtual idol Luo Tianyi collaborated with Li Jiaqi; Luo Tianyi and five other virtual singers hosted commercial live streams. Lezheng Ling, Qi Lin, Linghu Jie, and virtual host Xiao P ran through the entire online cloud launch event for the Xpeng P7. Their involvement brought boundless new possibilities to the e‑commerce sector.

(Illustration: Virtual host Xiao P at the Xpeng Motors launch conference; Luo Tianyi and Li Jiaqi sharing the same live‑stream frame)

Virtual idols began testing online live broadcasts and real‑time audience interaction as early as 2016. What virtual‑live‑streaming solutions does chingmu.com provide? Professional motion‑capture hardware and facial‑tracking systems are essential technical foundations to deliver high‑quality live performances.

We take virtual host Xiao P from the Xpeng P7 cloud‑based online launch as a case study to explore how virtual broadcasts achieve fluid real‑time interaction and responsive performances.

1. Optical Motion Capture

1.1 Body Motion Capture

In online live‑stream productions, inertial and optical motion‑capture are the two mainstream technologies. Virtual host Xiao P adopted the optical motion‑capture system developed by Shanghai CHINGMU Vision. Optical capture delivers high tracking precision, great flexibility, powerful expandability and broad compatibility. Inertial‑based solutions suffer from lower accuracy, limited range of large‑scale movements and positional drift errors, which may impair interaction between on‑site hosts and virtual characters.

Hardware deployed for Xiao P: The MC4000 optical motion‑capture camera, CHINGMU’s flagship 2019 model, delivers an ultra‑long capture distance, outstanding spatial coverage and full multi‑device compatibility. Auxiliary accessories include pan‑tilt heads and heavy‑duty clamps.

Software deployed for Xiao P: Real‑time motion‑capture software and post‑processing platform CMTracker. Key live‑broadcast‑oriented features include intelligent data repair, real‑time full‑body data‑driven animation for 3D avatars inside Unity 3D, UE4 and MotionBuilder, and support for single‑ or dual‑performer online/offline motion‑data analysis.

1.2 Finger Motion Capture

CHINGMU Vision’s optical finger‑tracking solution uses marker templates of 3‑5 tracking points on each hand to satisfy different precision‑grade requirements. Within the effective capture volume, performers enjoy unrestricted hand‑movement with high‑precision tracking. Operators may import character models and preview finger‑animation results directly within the software.

1.3 Facial Capture

Apple Face Cap software runs on iPhone X and later‑generation devices, using the built‑in front‑facing camera to collect facial‑performance data, which meets the basic requirements of virtual‑host live‑streaming.

During the nearly 24‑hour‑long mixed‑reality online launch of the Xpeng P7, virtual host Xiao P acted as the core on‑stage anchor, interacting with guests and delivering dance performances. A back‑stage performer wearing a motion‑capture suit and head‑mounted tracking gear drove all real‑time interactions. See the related video for full performance results.

(Case: Screenshot of Huawei virtual‑idol live broadcast)

Optical motion‑capture creates a seamless link between real‑world performers and virtual avatars. Body movements, facial expressions and hand gestures from live actors are reproduced on virtual hosts with high precision and low latency. Compared with human anchors, virtual idols rarely suffer public‑image crises. As digital characters, they do not experience physical fatigue or burnout from long‑hour shifts, helping sustain operational efficiency, consistent broadcast schedules and greater long‑term commercial returns.

On April 21, virtual singer Luo Tianyi appeared in Li Jiaqi’s live‑stream room. Her singing audio failed to play, while Li Jiaqi kept praising her performance. During the “Cloud‑Based Anime Carnival” on May 1, Luo Tianyi and Lezheng Ling hosted a commercial live‑stream, which also encountered occasional technical glitches. Broadcast failures are not exclusive to human streamers; virtual‑idol live‑streams may also freeze or crash. It is therefore critical to select qualified solution providers who can deliver professional technical support and on‑site engineering teams. As related technologies continue to mature, the fast‑growing virtual‑idol industry will unlock sustained commercial value and maximize the advantages of virtual‑host live commerce.