STARLUX unveils iconic AIRSORAYAMA robot safety video

STARLUX Airlines has released a bespoke safety video for its AIRSORAYAMA Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, created around a chrome robot. Barcelona creative studio SAUVAGE.TV produced the five-minute film, which stars Hajime Sorayama's Sexy Robot character. Sorayama has spent close to six decades building that character into one of contemporary art's most recognisable figures. This is the first time it has featured in an airline’s safety briefing.

A glossy robot and dedicated children’s character

Sexy Robot appears in a STARLUX cabin crew uniform, working through oxygen mask deployment, seatbelt operation, then emergency evacuation with deliberately mechanical precision. Sorayama's Mechanical Shark motif appears as well, which ties the film to the aircraft exterior, where the same linework runs along the belly of the aircrafts.

Cabin fittings in the video follow the AIRSORAYAMA design, so the seat on screen matches the seat in front of the passenger. That's a small touch with a real function, because a briefing showing unfamiliar equipment loses some of its value.

SAUVAGE.TV created a second character called Kid Robot, which handles the child life vest sequence. Sorayama approved the art design of the new character himself.

The safety video has been designed to captivate and inform. Image: STARLUX Airlines

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Two years in production

SAUVAGE.TV spent close to two years on the project, combining motion capture with 3D animation, and studying how light behaves across metallic surfaces to give Sexy Robot a credible chrome finish. Creative director Ernest Desumbila describes it as the hardest piece of work his studio has taken on.

Sorayama, born in 1947, told the airline he has loved aircraft all his life, with this collaboration being his first in aviation. He also designed the special liveries for STARLUX Airlines’ AIRSORYAMA A350-1000s, the first of which entered service this month.

A bespoke character has been created, featuring throughout the video. Image: STARLUX Airlines

A safety video to remember

Chairman of STARLUX Airlines, K.W. Chang, argues that a safety video should open the journey rather than fill the minutes before pushback. He wants passengers watching because they choose to, not because the crew asks them to. Safety videos should be engaging, eye-catching, and entertaining, ensuring passengers remember vital safety instructions while remembering the design of the video.

That ambition puts STARLUX in a group of airlines who have proved that safety video innovation pays off. Air New Zealand built a reputation on celebrity safety films, Turkish Airlines used Lego in 2018, and Virgin America (now defunct) set the entire briefing to music. The commercial case is clear, because a video people share online keeps working long after the flight lands.

The detail that earns the Oscar

One choice STARLUX Airlines has emphasised deserves particular credit. Child and infant flotation equipment often gets rushed or missed entirely in many briefings. Parents travelling with young children routinely report they have never seen a child vest demonstrated. STARLUX has gone above and beyond to ensure this important safety aspect is front and centre stage, ensuring every passenger, no matter how old, is fully informed.

Safety goes beyond adult passengers, with a dedicated children's robot design. Image: STARLUX Airlines

This is one of the reasons AirlineRatings.com rates STARLUX as a Seven Star PLUS on safety. The airline achieved an almost perfect anonymous onboard cabin safety audit in December 2025, demonstrating exceptional dedication to on-board cabin safety.

READ: STARLUX becomes third airline to earn Seven-Star PLUS safety rating

The video will air soon

AIRSORAYAMA Silver, registered B-58553, entered service on 12 July on the Tokyo and Phoenix routes, and AIRSORAYAMA Gold, B-58554, will be delivered in August. The aircraft joins the Prague service this August. Full AIRSORAYAMA themed flights, covering check-in through to arrival, will begin on 1 October.

STARLUX has made the most visually ambitious safety video flying today, using an on-brand character to capture passengers’ attention. Passengers flying on these aircraft are sure to remember their nearest exit, how to adopt the brace position, or how to protect their child.