Japan- and U.S.-based tech company Dolami has raised 100 million yen (around $730,000) to bring X Mask to the mainstream. X Mask is a facemask that uses special sensors to capture facial expressions in the metaverse. The VR mask is coming out later this year and will cost $90.

According to the press release written in Japanese, the funding round was led by Japanese venture capital firms, including CyberAgentCapital, F Ventures, East Ventures, and NOW. 

To develop X Mask, Dolami partnered with Osaka University in 2021. The newly raised funds will strengthen the developers’ team and further build the VR product.

Facial recognition is usually based on camera tracking, for instance, with Meta Quest Pro and the Vive Facial Tracker devices. However, the California-based company is developing a product that recognizes facial expressions through a mask.

X Mask, powered by patented facial mask technology, facilitates human interaction in VR and makes it more realistic. It copies their facial expressions and movements fully so that they communicate emotions through their avatars in the metaverse.

The mask recognizes facial movements through its internal sensors, which don’t affect the skin. Developers claim that the lightweight VR mask has 95% accuracy in showing expressions, and the delay speed is 200 milliseconds, the same as for Zoom audio. In addition, it takes less than five seconds to connect X Mask to a VR headset.

You can use X Mask in business meetings, presentations, enterprise events, customer service, private conversations, calls with friends, and other communication and interaction-driven VR spaces.

The metaverse promises to deliver almost lifelike experiences in the virtual world, and X Mask could be considered one of the steps toward achieving that goal. Besides VR headsets, there are other devices that connect the metaverse with real life, such as haptic VR gloves that give control of your hands in the metaverse and mouth haptics to enable sensations on your lips, teeth, and tongue in virtual reality.

Metaverse-related technology is expanding: VR and AR markets are expected to reach $451.5 billion by 2030. In addition, the X Mask team claims that the number of VR users has increased by 1,360% in the last five years.

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