Samsung & Leo Burnett Unveil World-First Live Virtual Reality Birth

A world-first live streaming virtual reality (VR) birth using Samsung Gear VR* has let an Australian father experience a life-defining moment he otherwise would have missed: the birth of his son. Although in Chinchilla, a remote Queensland town, Samsung’s Gear VR headset allowed Jason (Jace) Larke to experience the birth in real time, as if he was standing in the Perth delivery room – 4,000 kilometres away.

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 connecting people in ways that create powerful and emotive shared experiences that wouldn’t otherwise exist. The campaign was developed by Samsung Electronics Australia with its creative agency, Leo Burnett Sydney.

Jace, a ‘fly in, fly out’ electrical contractor, faced a hard decision when an unavoidable work commitment required him to be in Queensland on the due date: take the job and miss the birth of his third son, or refuse it and remain in Perth with his heavily pregnant wife Alison, but miss out on the contract work.

Working with production company, Rapid VR, Samsung Australia and Leo Burnett livestreamed 360 degree footage of the birth across Australia, from Perth to Chinchilla, which Jace viewed using the Samsung Gear VR headset*. It meant Jace was present in the delivery room, supporting his wife Alison every step of the way, and look around the room to experience the joyous occasion as if he were actually there. Late on Friday February 20, 2015, he witnessed the birth of Steele Larke.

Arno Lenior, chief marketing officer – Samsung Electronics Australia, said: “The Samsung Gear VR technology is exciting, 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,” he added.

Andy DiLallo, chief creative officer – Leo Burnett Sydney, added: “This goes beyond what the technology does and how it works – 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. This is about harnessing the potential for truly remarkable shared connections that are at the core of the human experience.”