Simon Fraser University launches first virtual ambassadors

Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) has debuted its first virtual ambassadors to much fanfare.

SFU says the Virtual Ambassador Program is designed to inspire and engage students, faculty, and the broader community. It aims to teach students in-demand skills such as content creation, motion capture, animation, and game design.

The program employs the use of VTubers (virtual YouTubers), animated fictional characters who appear to move and speak in real time in place of their virtual puppeteers.

Mo and Faye Ayato are the online personas of the two SFU students, who wished to remain anonymous, who will represent the school through online livestreams and events.

While Mo’s character features ears and fur, inspired by a red panda. Faye’s character is more humanoid and focuses on his ability to use magic and create interdimensional portals. The characters are controlled using motion capture technology.

“We’re looking directly into an iPhone on a tripod…that’s how the face capture works,” said Mo. “We’re also wearing a system called Mocopi, which are basically like around our wrists and elbows and a couple of other key points that kind of use a gyroscope to track our movement.”

Faye says he mainly worked on the characters’ backstories, and Mo worked on their design.

An animated trailer was released on the SIAT SFU YouTube channel ahead of their debut, explaining how Mo and Faye opened a portal to escape “the discriminatory hardships of their dimension.”

Mo says she joined StudioSIAT because of the green screen room and the facilities offered, while Faye saw a poster online when the school was first holding auditions back in September 2024. The pair say the reception from the VTuber community at large has been positive.

“They were really nice and receptive, and they’re super excited,” said Mo. “I think, above all else, they were really impressed with the production value that we put into this, especially considering it’s like a fully student production.”

“It’s so difficult to get something like this off the ground and we kind of pulled everything together with pure student power, and that’s crazy!”

Faye says he’s currently focused on game design and wants to play games developed by professionals and students.

“Gameplay is a very big sphere in streaming, content-wise,” said Faye. “I think the value that a virtual ambassador from a program like SIAT could bring to it is…being able to trace down exactly what makes a good game good.”

Meanwhile, Mo says she’s interested in crafts and design, with one of her biggest passions being cosplay.

“I draw…and I also do 3D modelling,” said Mo. “I also like animation a lot, so I will do hand-drawn animation, motion graphics, 3D animation…I don’t think this is a very common thing, especially for VTubers.”

The ambassadors will also get custom 3D models that they can keep after graduating and up to $1,000 in financial support per term for big projects.

To mark their debuts, both ambassadors have released limited merchandise, including clay figurines, clips, and tote bags.