There are a handful of life events no one should miss, and a child being born is high - maybe even tops - on that list.
Thanks to Samsung's Gear VR headset, one Australian father didn't have to miss the birth of his third son.
Jason Larke was on a work trek during the week his third child was due. The fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) electrical contractor, who works in remote Queensland, is away from home for four weeks at a time, his typical contracting schedule.
"After we found out I was five weeks pregnant with our third child, we watched our baby grow, found out he was a boy and dreamed about what the future may hold," his wife Alison told a media outlet. "Then at 30 weeks pregnant, Jace's contract roster was confirmed and it was more than likely he would miss the birth of our baby, pending a miracle."
Then Samsung ran a marketing promotion that provided a potential opportunity for Jason, or Jace to his family, to be at the birth of his son - albeit not physically.
The couple caught an ad by Samsung in which the electronics giant was asking for couples bound to be apart at important milestones in their lives and who may benefit from using the Samsung Gear VR technology. The couple applied to the marketing program, explaining Jason would likely not be around for the birth of their third child.
Thanks to the marketing program, Jason was able to watch the birth of his son, Steele, as it happened in a delivery room in Perth, while he was located literally on the other side of Australia.
The event, now a YouTube sensation, is chronicled in a Samsung ad. The birth on Feb. 20 was an experience Jason says he'll never forget. While he couldn't touch either his wife or son, he was able to "walk" the room during the birthing process and after. He could hear everything that was going on.
It was, as he related, "almost as if he was in the room."
During the event, Samsung used multiple cameras to provide the VR experience and was there when Jason arrived home a week later to hold his son for the first time.
The monumental opportunity was not lost on Alison.
"For me, it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders," said Alison, "knowing Jace 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."
The event even had a profound impact on Samsung's marketing chief Arno Lenior.
"Being a father myself," said Lenior, "I know how incredible the birth of a child is. Alison and Jason'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. This is what technology is all about: enabling human experiences."
Here's the video:
