While working at Yahoo in Japan, Issay Yoshida was involved in the research and development of computer vision, computer graphics, and machine learning, along with launching several innovative applications. Around 2016, he felt the need for a virtual camera platform that will be the foundation for video chat, live streaming, and video production.

Five years back, computer vision had just started picking up, and Issay felt that the physical camera could be replaced with a single software platform. So, he founded EmbodyMe in Tokyo, Japan, in 2016.

“The first product we developed was software which allowed users to create a 3D avatar from a single photo. After that, we set our sights on developing ‘xpression’, which facilitates the control of any person’s face and head in an image or video in real time to generate new video content.

The team just started developing xpression camera when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

“Our goal was to create a foundational virtual camera platform intended for video chatting, live streaming, and video production, which, in the age of COVID-19, have all become indispensable modes of communication,” he adds.