# Realistic Projected-Face Robots The ‘Mask-bot' Uses 2D Photos to Create 3D Facial Expr By Katherinev123 | Published 2011-11-09 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mask-bot References: [technewsdaily](http://www.technewsdaily.com/3392-mask-robot-human-face.html) & [innovationnewsdaily](http://innovationnewsdaily.com/mask-robot-human-face-2361/) Instead of viewing robots as creepy and lifeless beings, with the ‘Mask-bot,’ we may simply start to perceive them as extensions of ourselves. Created by German and Japanese researchers, the ‘Mask-bot’ is a revolutionary robot technology that translates a 2D photo of a person into a 3D face that mimics a human’s [facial expressions and emotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/feelbot) -- for example, the ‘Mask-bot’ can be happy, sad or angry. A projection of a person’s face via real-time video can also be used, turning the robot into a “[human avatar](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/faceless-avatar),” which would come in handy for teleconferences and the like. In addition, human expressions recorded via motion capture can be used to create a completely new and unique face for the ‘Mask-bot,’ and it can speak anything that is typed in English or Japanese, although it currently cannot hold a normal human conversation on its own. According to TechNewsDaily, this kind of innovation builds on technology seen at the [Disney](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mini-robots) ‘Haunted Mansion’ ride (the ride projects faces of actors onto busts). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.8/10 - Popularity: 23% | Activity: 53% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [AI](https://www.trendhunter.com/ai) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Realistic Face Projection:** Developing projection technology that can bring realistic human faces to robots could disrupt the entertainment industry by bringing immersive experiences to theme parks and venues. - **Emotive Robot Technology:** The ability of robots to mimic human emotion and expression through emotive technology could change the healthcare industry by assisting with therapy and basic healthcare. - **Human Avatars for Teleconferencing:** With the advent of human avatars that project real-time video projection of persons faces into robots, the teleconferencing industry could see a rise in the ability to attend meetings and conferences from remote locations. ### Where This Applies - **Entertainment:** Entertainment parks, video games, and other immersive entertainment industries could take advantage of the Mask-bot technology to provide more interactive, engaging and realistic experiences. - **Healthcare:** The healthcare sector, especially mental health therapy, can benefit from the development of emotion-based robot technology that could assist human therapists in identifying the emotional state of a patient. - **Telecommunications:** The teleconferencing industry could be disrupted with the rise of human avatars projected in robots, as remote workers and attendees would be able to have a truly immersive experience of being present at the meeting in real-time. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Expressive Lip-Syncing Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emo-robot-1.md) - [Connected Emotive Face Masks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/w3e-mask-expressive-emotion.md) - [Animated-Photo AI-Fueled Chat Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/embodyme.md) - [Emotional LED Masks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/qudi-mask.md) - [AI-Generated Selfies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dreambooth.md) - [Emotive Inflatable Masks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lian-mask.md) - [Advanced Humanoid Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ameca.md) - [Interactive Companion Care-Bots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fourier-g3.md) - [Artistic AI Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sketcher-x.md)