Lots of people are excited about virtual reality for its potential impact on gaming, social interactions, and even sex, but some of the coolest implementations of VR tech happen when the technology melts away and lets us live our lives in ways we never thought possible. Samsung Australia demonstrated that by helping a father see the birth of his son as though he were actually there, when in fact, he wasn’t.
Jace had a problem. His son was expected to arrive any day and he was nowhere near home. While working in Chinchilla, Queensland, he was nearly 2,500 miles away from his pregnant wife. Depressed at the idea of missing the live-changing event, Jace was contacted by Samsung with a possible solution: They wanted to give him the chance to be in the room with his wife, virtually.
Equipped with a Gear VR headset and a rock solid connection to the 360-degree video feed from the delivery room, Jace made a 4,000 mile digital trip home just before the big event began. He was there for the entire delivery and was able to be one of the first people to see his son, just as if he were standing in the room alongside his wife.
It’s things like this that should be able to crack a smile on the face of even the most stubborn virtual reality naysayers.
Screengrab via Samsung Australia/YouTube
