Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Nearly four years have passed since Facebook officially changed its corporate name to Meta, amid promises from founder Mark Zuckerberg that a fully realized digital "metaverse" was just around the corner. Since then, user adoption of virtual reality spaces has plateaued, and Zuckerberg himself has seemingly shifted focus towards AI companions and podcast-playing Ray Bans. For many, simply sitting on the couch at home with a dog by their side remains more appealing than slipping into VR. But what if your furry friend could join you?

You can now put on a virtual reality headset with sensors which will predict your facial expressions before you even make them and have them instantly mirrored on an avatar. MindMaze unveiled MASK on Wednesday, a lightweight foam with sensors that can be applied to VR headsets, which brings human emotion to VR gaming and social networking. MindMaze, a Switzerland based company, has developed products to help stroke victims and amputees using virtual reality, computer graphics, brain imaging & neuroscience -- and now it's bringing that technology to gaming. "There's a lot of technology but none of it is human," CEO and founder of MindMaze, Tej Tadi, told International Business Times about the VR world. MindMaze unveils MASK, which predicts facial expressions and mirrors them on VR avatars.