Capture Facial Expressions in VR With MindMaze’s Mask Technology

Image credit: Venture Beat

While tech giants and many other VR content creators are working towards getting social interactivity and connectivity in the VR space, one of the major challenges that lie ahead of them is to realistically translate all the user interactions and expressions while communicating in virtual reality.

Neuroscience and computing company MindMaze has recently arrived with a wonderful ‘Mask’ technology solution which captures the user’s facial expressions and translates the same into virtual reality.

Understanding the Mask Technology

Image credit: Venture Beat

Mask technology implementation involves a mix of hardware and software solutions that involves eight small sensors attached in a ring pattern at your VR headset’s foam face mask as shown in the above image. As you put your VR headsets ON, these eight sensors come in direct contact with your face’s skin and detect different kinds of electrical/pressure signals generated by your face muscles’ movements. Based on the received signals, the software will then simulate several kinds of expressions like frowning, smiling, or squinting.

Image credit: The Verge

The software will then create cartoon-like avatars on your VR headset screens and reproduce those expressions back. Such kind of technology in virtual reality can be of great advantage and fun especially during the times of multiplayer gaming as well as interacting with your friends in the social VR space.

MindMaze CEO Tej Tadi said that the company is in talks with several VR headset manufacturers and partners and will license this Mask technology at a low cost of tens of dollars. He further said that we could see this technology available for customer use by as early as the year-end.

Tadi further said that this Mask Technology “will humanize VR, turning a solitary experience into something that can be a lot more social. We are making the experience more emotional,” he said. “The Mask represents our significant expansion into the consumer VR market. This is the first time that emotions like smiling, laughter, and anger will appear in VR.”

What Could Mask Technology mean for VR Porn?

The Mask Technology will strengthen analysts claims that VR tech can help couples come closer to each other and have more intimate sort of relationship. This technology could give couples in relationships a more intimate experience since they will be able to see each other’s real facial expressions.

Also, it can bring fantasies to life as the avatar will realistically mimic what the user is expressing precisely translating into more intimacy and closeness towards their respective partners.

We expect Mask to undergo faster adoption within the user community as it will really set a new benchmark towards improved VR social interactions.