Japanese startup EmbodyMe has launched a new way for you to take Zoom calls ... or freak people out on them. Xpression camera is a virtual camera app that imprints the movements of your face onto any image while you chat on Zoom, Twitch, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.
Issay Yoshida, CEO of EmbodyMe, recognizes that video chats and live streams have become an essential part of life. His team wanted to offer a way for users to appear on calls without the work of getting fancy (e.g., wearing a suit or putting on makeup). Rather than using a cartoon-like avatar, Xpression camera can turn any image or video into your avatar without any preprocessing time. Go from pajamas to suit instantly.
On top of its practical application, people have found other humorous uses. Users can show up to their next team meeting as Elon Musk or host a Twitch stream as their favorite video game character.
Here's what the community thinks of this release:
“Really cool technology and super relevant given that we spend half of our work time in video meetings nowadays.” - Robert
“The real-time application of this technology is impressive.” - Dave
“This is both very fun and almost terrifying at what is to come.” - Ian
Xpression camera is just one of the many applications that can imprint users’ facial movements. A few months ago in the newsletter, we covered Puppets.World which can produce a video of any person from a photo or portrait. While deepfakes can have some serious implications, products like xpression camera can also help you combat Zoom fatigue by relying on an avatar to take the pressure off emoting 100% of the time.
Will you be brave enough to turn up to your next video call in your PJ's?
Listen to Supercreative Radio and get your creative juices flowing. Vibe out to this French-inspired playlist while you design the next big thing.