Augmented reality (AR) has become a hot topic in the entertainment, fashion, and makeup industries. Though a few different technologies exist in these fields, dynamic facial projection mapping (DFPM) is among the most sophisticated and visually stunning ones. Briefly put, DFPM consists of projecting dynamic visuals onto a person’s face in real-time, using advanced facial tracking to ensure projections adapt seamlessly to movements and expressions.

While imagination should ideally be the only thing limiting what’s possible with DFPM in AR, this approach is held back by technical challenges. Projecting visuals onto a moving face implies that the DFPM system can detect the user’s facial features, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, within less than a millisecond.

Even slight delays in processing or minuscule misalignments between the camera’s and projector’s image coordinates can result in projection errors—or “misalignment artifacts”—that viewers can notice, ruining the immersion.