A grandad has eternalised himself by creating a “hologram twin” – so he can meet his future great-grandchildren even after his death.
Jerry Terrence, 85, from Los Angeles, California, first heard about virtual reality technology while watching a TV programme.
The grandfather, who has two children and four grandchildren, wanted to “preserve” his family history for future generations, and what better way than to let them ‘meet’ him – even after death?
The VR technology, created in partnership between biographer company StoryTerrace and US metaverse experts 8i, harnesses holographic technology and proprietary machine learning algorithms.
The end result? Users will be able to walk around and come ‘face-to-face’ with anyone – including loved ones who have since passed on.
In Jerry’s case, he has used the device to record a “time capsule” to share with his family – Stacy, 58, and Randi, 55, and grandchildren Jason, 29, Brian, 24, Noah, 20, and Ryan, 17.
And so future great-grandchildren can get to know him, too.
“I think it is a wonderful way to preserve my family’s history for future generations,” the 85-year-old told Jam Press.
“It made me choose to share my stories this way so my family can visualise my past, my career and my life experiences in an exciting and immersive format so they can feel closer to me and their memories of me won’t feel so distant.
“I think it’s almost like a time capsule – a visual time capsule so to speak of my history, the family history.
“It feels very exciting to be a part of the future in this way and I’m excited for my family down the line to actually see and not just read about the legacy I hope to leave.
“I feel like I can get more emotive language and feeling across in virtual form also, it makes the words come to life.
“Conversation and stories can be misinterpreted in written form, but with this new technology, it is essentially a time capsule as I said.
“It’s just incredible, I’ve not seen or been a part of anything like it before.
“To see myself like that, is just mind-blowing – it feels like watching a movie.”
The businessman, who has a written memoir with StoryTerrace, has decided to create a virtual one too – designing a hologram twin to recount his tale for decades to come.
Jerry, who notably created the Carpet Bag handbag in the 1960s, narrated several key stories from his life to create the immersive experience, which he hopes his family will enjoy.
In 8i’s volumetric capture studios, Jerry was surrounded by 30 cameras to create a 3D video asset that can be viewed in a VR headset.
His own home videos were also incorporated to create an authentic experience.
8i’s technology fuses footage captured from the cameras into a single 3D twin of the subject, so viewers can choose their viewpoint and even walk around with their loved one.
For Jerry, that means getting to meet future family members even after he is gone, and he thinks of the finished product as his own personal movie.
Of his virtual twin, he said: “On the whole it does feel like me.
“It maintains the authenticity of my life as the stories are situated in 3D environments which replicate my home and such.
“It’s an amazing technology – a way to connect the past to the future.
“My family think it’s an excellent way to get a better understanding of their family history.
“By not just reading the words as in my memoir but to actually get the chance to see and hear me recalling the stories is just magical.
“My daughter did try the headset on and said how it brings back such great memories.
“She said she found out things about me that she didn’t know before and it made her history come to life.
“In fact, I think this has brought them closer to me and will keep me alive, in some form, for my grandchildren.
“It was an emotional time!”
Rutger Bruining, CEO and founder of StoryTerrace, believes the collaboration with 8i will “revolutionise the future of storytelling”.
He said: “The book is a unique medium to tell someone’s life stories because you can really reflect on life, look at turning points and go incredibly deep into that story.
“What makes VR so unique is that you can immerse yourself in someone else’s life who you are close to and actually hear their voice.
“We believe that combining these two mediums will be extremely powerful.”
