Kamenya Omote, a popular Tokyo mask shop, has begun selling incredibly realistic masks that give the wearer the appearance of random Japanese adults, according to reports.
Shuhei Okawara, who had experience in creating theatre masks, opened his Tokyo shop in 2014. Selling simpler masks at first, he eventually employed 3D printers to create new and incredibly lifelike masks, according to Vice.
When specifically asked how his shop 3D printed the masks, Okawara told Vice it was “a trade secret” involving 3D-scanned facial data.
“Mask shops in Venice probably do not buy or sell faces. But that is something that’s likely to happen in fantasy stories,” Okawara said according to Reuters. “I thought it would be fun to actually do that.”
The masks, which reportedly sell for 98,000 yen, or approximately $950 each, will be released for sale in 2021. Over 100 applicants sent Okawara pictures of themselves, with the hope that their faces would be chosen as one of his new masks, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Hong Kong Demonstration Draws Crowd Of 1.7 Million)
Across the ocean, China’s facial recognition software has increased privacy concerns among Chinese civilians, causing protesters to shield their faces with masks and umbrellas to hide their identity.
When asked by Vice whether his masks were created in response to the increasing use of facial recognition surveillance, Okawara replied, saying, that his technology was actually being used to, “increase the accuracy of facial recognition systems.”