Leim Technology and Trends Media Group Bring Art, Fashion and AI Together Through bibo

bibo to appear at the 2026 BAZAAR GALA as BAZAAR GALA BABY, the “Happy Planet Navigator”

SHANGHAI, SHANGHAI, CHINA, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Leim Technology announced a strategic partnership with Trends Media Group and introduced an open ecosystem for art-toy embodied AI at the 2026 INCLUSION Conference on the Bund, showcasing its emotional AI companion bibo through live music and interactive art.

The partnership will combine Leim’s embodied AI capabilities with Trends Media Group’s fashion, content and lifestyle experience. Planned projects include designer collaborations, clothing, accessories, limited-edition products and creative experiences involving AI characters.

The announcement accompanied a live performance featuring more than a dozen bibo robots and an exhibition built around miniature spring, summer, autumn and winter landscapes. Together, the presentations illustrated what Leim calls its ART × TECH approach to everyday AI companionship.

Fashion and technology converge

Founded in 1993, Trends Media Group has a publishing history that includes collaboration with Hearst and licensed publication of international titles, including Harper’s BAZAAR, in China.

That experience provides a foundation in photography, styling, storytelling and visual expression that the partners intend to apply to interactive consumer products. Leim will contribute capabilities in miniature robotics, sensing and character interaction, while Trends Media Group will bring content expertise and relationships across fashion and design.

Their first announced project is scheduled for Sept. 25, when bibo will appear at the 2026 BAZAAR GALA as BAZAAR GALA BABY, taking on the role of “Happy Planet Navigator.”

Leim also announced an eight-figure yuan financing round led by Trends Media Group, with participation from Hongyi Asset Management. The company reported a post-money valuation of 160 million yuan and said the funding would support product development, content and sales channel expansion.
Robots respond to live music

On the conference’s INCLUSION stage, fingerstyle guitarist Zhou Jing performed alongside bibo robots that responded with shifts in gaze, head movements, sounds and rhythmic motion.

According to Leim, the robots generated their responses through perception and interaction systems rather than following a fixed dance routine. Individual robots could therefore respond differently to the same music.

The performance offered an example of the company’s focus on nonverbal interaction. Its compact companion robot uses visual, audio, touch and motion sensing to perceive its surroundings, then responds through expressions, movement and sound.

Leim positions bibo as a product for companionship and personal expression, with interaction designed to fit into everyday routines.
“Entering real-world settings does not necessarily mean becoming part of real life,” said Shouchang “Martin” Wang, founder of Leim Technology. “Being purchased is only the first step. Being brought into someone’s life is the real test.”

An Interactive Art Exhibition Inspired by the Four Seasons

Beyond the stage, visitors encountered bibo in miniature environments representing spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each setting featured different styling and expressive behaviors, with robots responding as visitors approached.

Clothing, accessories and scenery contributed to the characters’ presentation. The exhibition also outlined opportunities for artists and designers to create environments and visual identities around the devices.

Another installation, “You Through bibo’s Eyes,” invited visitors to create personalized AI-generated portraits. According to the company, it combined captured images with felt-art-inspired visuals, using perceived emotional cues to influence the composition.
The experiences extended bibo’s presentation beyond a hardware demonstration, giving visitors a role in the artwork and showing how creative partners could contribute to future projects.

An ecosystem built around participation

Leim describes “art-toy embodied AI” as a combination of character design, physical sensing, robotic movement and continuing AI interaction. The company said bibo received recognition at CES 2026.

Its new ecosystem has three priorities: working with intellectual property owners to bring characters into physical form; expanding into settings such as exhibitions, fashion events, travel and hospitality; and supporting continued participation through accessories, content and user-created stories.

Leim said early users have brought bibo into offices, cafés, trips and social gatherings, often customizing its appearance and sharing photographs.
According to company-reported figures, active users averaged more than 120 minutes of daily companionship time and more than 60 multimodal interactions per day as of Sept. 1. Users also created more than 40,000 photos with bibo between July 1 and Sept. 1.

Through its partnership with Trends Media Group, Leim plans to expand the creative content and experiences available around bibo, making fashion, music and art part of its broader consumer robotics strategy.

Gloria Gu
Hangzhou Leim Technology Co., LTD
+86 135 6719 0047
email us here