Smart 3D Modeling Program Lets You Manipulate the Face of Any Celebrity

Snapchat may have only recently rolled out a popular face swapping filter, but a team of university researchers have already unveiled technology several steps ahead of that. Using any old webcam, their 3D computer modeling program is able to superimpose your facial expressions onto the face of anyone in, say, a regular YouTube video. The software first recreates a 3D model of your face and the target face, before manipulating the latter to mirror your emotions — the effect is so realistic that you might be mistaken that the artificial footage were authentic, if it wasn’t for the laughter-inducing expressions of the target face giving it away. While this software is far from market-ready, it’s a fascinating look at what current face-mapping technology is already capable of.