Samsung device lets father witness birth of son in real-time from 2,500 miles away

When Jace Larke had an unavoidable work commitment that required him to be in Queensland, Australia, 2,500 miles away from his home, on the due date of his and wife Alison’s third child, he thought he’d never get to witness the birth.

Then Samsung granted the couple the opportunity to be involved in a promotional project that would allow Jace to use the Samsung Gear VR headset to be virtually present in the delivery room during the birth of his son.

Alison and Jace welcome their new baby together, despite physical distance.

“Being a father myself, I know how incredible the birth of a child is. Alison and Jace’s story is familiar to millions of Australians and the reality of being away from family and friends is a heart-wrenching experience that most of us understand. But through the power of the Gear VR technology, we could help Jace welcome his third son into the world, in an exciting, unique way. This is true innovation. This is what technology is all about; enabling human experiences,” said Arno Lenior, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung.

The Samsung Gear VR is powered by Oculus and the Galaxy Note 4 so that users can engage in a virtual reality run by a smartphone. It offers a 360-degree virtual reality viewing experience all made possible by the Galaxy Note 4’s screen and processor.

Their journey was captured by Samsung in a short film that you can view here.
 
“Jace was able to see our son born and experience the birth as if he was in the room with me even though he was working away on the other side of the country. For me it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders knowing he would not be missing out on such a precious moment in our lives and we would virtually be experiencing the birth together. It has been an absolutely amazing, once in a life time experience that has changed our lives forever,” said Alison.

For more information visit Samsung’s website.