National biography service introduces the FIRST EVER virtual reality autobiography in partnership with metaverse experts 8i

StoryTerrace – the world’s leading biographer is the first to welcome virtual reality (VR) into the art of memoirs, heralding a yet unseen experience for families and friends to come face-to-face with their loved ones. During a time of rapid technological growth, even the traditionally offline sectors of publishing and biographies are set to transform centuries-old methods of legacy preservation into immersive experiences. In essence, your “digital twin” will be able to narrate your memoirs, creating a lasting sense of presence for generations to come.

How it Works

StoryTerrace’s launch video demonstrates how the company has championed the technology through an immersive experience created for Jerry Terrence, who originally had his memoirs written by the company. In a virtual space, he retells four of his favourite stories through the medium of VR, preserving the mark he made on the world for future generations. In their high-tech screening, Jerry was captured by 8i in their volumetric capture studios surrounded by 30 cameras, to create a 3D video asset that can be viewed in a VR headset. What viewers can then see is the storyteller situated in a simulated 3D environment relative to the context of the story. Jerry’s own home videos and images were incorporated into this series reinforcing the authenticity of the life story, making it the best, most realistic experience possible.

Leveraging proprietary machine learning algorithms, 8i’s technology fuses footage captured from an array of cameras into a single 3D twin of the subject, enabling participants to literally choose their viewpoint and even walk around their loved one. Traditionally, VR experiences, which harness holographic technologies, have been used to re-live iconic musical figures such as Tupac Shakur, who was exhibited on day 3 of the 2012 Coachella Festival and seemingly ‘brought back to life’. Individuals simply put on the VR headset and are equipped with a handset which allows them to navigate through the series of stories narrated by the digital version of the narrator, so it’s as if your loved one is standing right in front of you. To enquire about the VR package please contact StoryTerrace at [email protected].

With AI markets projected to grow to nearly $600 billion by 2025, society is gradually acclimatising to a world experienced through immersive mediums, many of which will be showcased at South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) this month. Alongside the next generation of Apple and Sony VR devices, StoryTerrace will unveil its pioneering take on memory preservation, which bears a significant impact on the way future generations will engage with their loved ones from the past, present, and future. The award-winning memoir-writing service has partnered with volumetric video company, 8i, to create the world’s first immersive VR life story viewable through a headset creating a powerful and holistic experience. The partnership aims to make this technology more accessible to a wider audience. StoryTerrace are now promoting this service for the next batch of 10 customers to create their VR experience for future generations starting at $7,500.

Rutger Bruining, co-founder of StoryTerrace discusses the pioneering technology that will revolutionise the future of storytelling:

“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.

“We are partnering with 8i, who we have known for a few years. They have built an innovative technology to make it more and more accessible for people to create a 3D immersive experience. They also share our ethos in the importance of telling stories. So, together our experience of telling people’s life stories and their technology, offers a whole range of new opportunities.”