Virtual reality has helped a mother reunite with her daughter who died of a rare incurable disease three years ago when she was seven years old.
A South Korean documentary aired a few days ago shows the reunion for which an entire virtual setting was created including the persona of the daughter and the park both used to visit frequently.
Jang Ji-sung burst into tears when her daughter Nayeon ran towards her and said, “Where have you been, Mom? Did you think about me?” Jang, wearing haptic gloves, even held her daughter’s hand.
“Maybe it’s a real paradise,” Jang, the mother of four children, told Aju Business Daily. “I met Nayeon, who called me with a smile, for a very short time, but it’s a very happy time. I think I’ve had the dream I’ve always wanted.”
The documentary shows the real world in which Jang moves around wearing virtual reality gear and the virtual world where she interacts with Nayeon.
Filmmakers recreated Nayeon’s face, body and voice and used motion capture technology to record the movements of a child actor which were used to animate virtual Nayeon.
