‘X Mask’ Aims to Bring Face-tracking to Consumers in Unique Facemask Form Factor - Road to VR

Dolami, a Japanese startup based some successful the US and Japan, announced it raised 100 cardinal yen (~$730,000) this week to assistance bring X Mask to market, a unsocial facemask susceptible of tracking a user’s facial movements successful VR. While galore of the specifics surrounding X Mask are inactive nether wraps, the startup seems to person some user and endeavor users successful mind.

According to a press statement (Japanese), the backing circular was led by a fleet of Japan-based task capital, including CyberAgentCapital, East Ventures, F Ventures, and NOW. Included successful the circular was erstwhile CEO of Anchor Japan Yoshitsune Ido, CEO of Mankind Games Yusuke Harima, Yuji Wakabayashi, and Executive Vice President of Photosynth Co. Hiroaki Watanabe.

Dolami, which partnered with Osaka University successful 2021 to make X Mask, says it volition usage the funds to strengthen the recruitment of halfway members and absorption connected merchandise development.

Image courtesy Dolami

There’s inactive a batch to larn astir X Mask, nevertheless the unsocial face-tracking disguise is said to bring “over 95% accuracy” successful replicating facial movements, with face-tracking latency speeds reaching 200 milliseconds. It’s besides said to beryllium reasonably light, weighing successful astatine 4.5oz (128g).

Since its archetypal improvement successful 2021, the institution has since applied for an planetary patent which volition let Dolami to marketplace the headset successful the United States successful summation to Japan. Dolami is aiming to scope a $90 terms constituent erstwhile it’s released adjacent year.

Image courtesy Dolami

Granted, face-tracking tin besides beryllium done optically by mode of either built-in sensors, specified arsenic the ones seen successful Pico 4 Enterprise, oregon successful add-on modules similar with the Vive Facial Tracker, which tin plug into HTC’s enactment of Vive Pro headsets. Dolami seems hardware agnostic successful its attack frankincense far, truthful it could mean we’ll spot aggregate headsets supported, which would springiness the instrumentality a wider scope than existent aftermarket modules.

While X Mask is simply a caller attack to facial tracking, and whitethorn confer immoderate accuracy benefits implicit optical methods, 1 of the things we’re hoping to spot is however the institution deals with hygiene, arsenic anyone with a non-wipeable VR headset facial interface tin attest however gross the glorified look sponges tin get. It besides remains to beryllium seen whether consumers adjacent want to deterioration a facemask present that aesculapian facemasks are falling retired of usage successful the post-pandemic world.

We’re hoping to larn much soon, arsenic the institution says it’s aiming to motorboat X Mask sometime successful 2023.