Life Before Birth

This immersive and interactive experience transports parents inside the womb to witness the formation of their child; to educate about key developmental stages and the importance of vital medical examinations.

Developed with New Frontiers Ltd in collaboration with Alchemy Immersive and Zoo VFX – Life Before Birth gives parents an informative and magical insight into one of the most life-changing journeys they’ll face. The user can explore and interact with the growing foetus – meaning they can zone in on various moments of development important to them, creating a tailored experience that is unique to VR platforms.

This project harnessed the power of the Unreal Engine’s most recent developments in real-time rendering and ray-tracing to create a breathtakingly high-end experience. Our teams worked hard, creating medically accurate, realistic 3D models of the foetus throughout its development in the womb. These models can be manipulated to help expectant parents understand what is happening from the moment of conception through to giving birth. The experience is completed by a voiceover and interaction points, allowing users to spend time exploring what is important to them.

Life before birth was designed as part of the larger educational project by the Development Research Centre of the State Council and the Shanghai Medical Innovation & Development Foundation to improve China’s maternal care. The experience educates both prospective parents and medical professionals outside of centralised giant hospitals as part of a drive to get parents to attend pregnancy education classes and important key checkups.