Image used with permission by copyright holderVirtual reality is about to get much more real. No longer will you be just an invisible observer of a virtual world; people there will be able to look back at you, as well. At least, this is if Veeso, a VR headset with built in face-tracking technology, catches on.

　　Veeso is powered by a consumer-friendly version of the digital performance capture technology used in movies like Avatar and Planet of the Apes. It uses computer vision to track points on a user’s face and plot them to a mesh, similar to how Snapchat Lenses work.

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　　From the outside, the hardware looks like your standard VR headset. But on the inside, an infrared camera positioned between the lenses tracks eye movement. A tiny boom extends below the goggles, with another camera angled at the wearer’s mouth for reading facial expressions.

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　　While the technology is still in prototype, the goal is to be able to capture subtle details of a user’s expressions, beyond just a big smile or dramatic frown. The infrared camera will track eyebrow movement, how open or closed a user’s eyes are, and even the position of the pupils. Veeso’s international team of engineers and designers envision a shared virtual world where even fatigue and tiredness can be visually communicated.

　　Veeso’s onboard ARM processor handles the task of building the three-dimensional mesh, then wirelessly communicates that information to a user’s phone (iOS or Android) where the actual rendering occurs.

　　As the hardware is all but useless without compatible software, there’s also a dev kit intended for game studios and tinkerers. The kit includes access to the Veeso SDK, docs, samples, and developer forums.

　　With a few kinks still needing to be worked out, the creators of Veeso are looking to Kickstarter to raise money in order to continue development and enter production. They’ve set a lofty goal of $80,000, but with 24 days left, there’s still plenty of time. Early-bird backers can get in on the action for just $70, or $80 for the headset and dev kit.