New software tracks a person’s facial expressions and maps it—in real-time—onto a digital character, whether that might be an alien or an ape. The technology could make it easier to create computer animated characters that closely match the expressions of an actor.

To get started, just shake your head once in front of the Kinect sensor the software uses so it can capture an impression of the shape of your face. The mapping gets better over time, because as a person moves his or her face, the system works to learn its shape better, producing a more accurate mimic. The software was created by Hao Li, Jihun Yu, Yuting Ye, and Chris Bregler of Industrial Light and Magic.