Dolami, a Japanese startup based in both the United States and Japan, has invested 100 million yen (~$1 million) this week to bring to market the X Mask, a unique face mask that can track the movements of a user’s face in VR. announced that it has raised $730,000. Many of the details surrounding X Mask have yet to be revealed, but the startup seems to have both consumers and corporate users in mind.
according to press statement (in Japanese), the funding round was led by a series of Japan-based venture capital firms including CyberAgentCapital, East Ventures, F Ventures and NOW. The round included former Anchor Japan CEO Yoshitsune Ido, Mankind Games CEOs Yusuke Harima and Yuji Wakabayashi, and Photosynth Co. vice president Hiroaki Watanabe.
Dolami, which developed the X Mask in partnership with Osaka University in 2021, says it will use the funds to strengthen recruitment of core members and focus on product development.
There’s still a lot to learn about X-Mask, but the unique face-tracking mask is said to deliver “more than 95% accuracy” in reproducing facial movements, with a face-tracking latency of 200ms. It is also said to be fairly light at 4.5 ounces (128 g).
Since its initial development in 2021, the company has applied for international patents, allowing Dolami to sell the headset in the US in addition to Japan. We aim to
Indeed, face tracking can also be done optically via built-in sensors like those found in Pico 4 Enterprise, or an add-on module like the Vive Facial Tracker that plugs into HTC’s line of Vive Pro headsets. Dolami appears to be hardware agnostic with its approach so far, which could mean multiple headsets are supported, giving it a wider reach for devices than current aftermarket modules. .
X Mask is a novel approach to face tracking that may offer more accuracy than optical methods, but one thing we expect is a non-wipeable VR headset facial interface. As with everyone who uses , how the company deals with hygiene. I can attest to how awful a beautified face sponge can be.Also, if consumers I want Wearing a face mask now that medical face masks are no longer used in a post-pandemic world.
The company says it’s aiming to launch the X Mask in 2023, so we’re hoping to learn more soon.
