Samsung & Leo Burnett Make Birth a Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is currently a technology at the front of many people's minds, with the potential for many and varied applications. But so far we've seen nothing like this, example, which sees a father witness the birth of his son from 4,000km away.

Using Samsung Gear VR, Jace was able to connect with his wife Alison as she gave birth to their third child, as the above short film covering the event shows.

The world’s first live-streaming virtual reality birth using Samsung Gear VR, part of Samsung’s LifeLIVE campaign, demonstrates the ability of new technology to connect people in ways that create powerful and emotive shared experiences. The campaign was developed by Samsung Electronics Australia with its creative agency, Leo Burnett Sydney.

Working with production company, Rapid VR, Samsung Australia and Leo Burnett live-streamed 360 degree footage of the birth across Australia, from Perth to Chinchilla in Queensland, which Jace viewed using the Samsung Gear VR headset. 

“The Samsung Gear VR technology is exciting," Arno Lenior, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics Australia, said, "but what we are even more proud of are the amazing, emotion-charged experiences made possible by eliminating physical and geographic barriers and delivering new ways to experience immersive content. We are connecting people in ways never before thought possible to ensure Aussies don’t miss those significant moments which life is really all about.”

“This goes beyond what the technology does and how it works," added Leo Burnett Sydney's chief creative officer, Andy DiLallo. "It’s about how it touches and changes peoples’ lives in new and compelling ways by allowing them to be part of experiences that they would otherwise miss. In Jace and Alison’s story, that was sharing the miracle of birth through the miracle of technology.

“This technology gives people the ability to ‘be there’ to experience life-changing, life-defining or life-affirming moments that would previously have been missed, and make emotional connections that would not otherwise have been made," continues DiLallo. "This is about harnessing the potential for truly remarkable shared connections that are at the core of the human experience.”