Hawking VR experience ‘will inspire children’

A virtual reality experience made in collaboration with Professor Stephen Hawking will help children understand the complexities of black holes, the late physicist’s daughter Lucy has said.

Stephen Hawking talks about his life and work during a public symposium to celebrate his 75th birthday at Lady Mitchell Hall in Cambridge.

Speaking at a preview of a forthcoming VR experience in which Prof Hawking guides users on a journey through space and time, two of his children, Lucy and Tim, shared their hopes that it will inspire more youngsters to pursue a career in science.

Ms Hawking said at an event held at London’s Science Museum: “Young people who see it will realise they can understand. This is a portal into that world and it makes it interesting and engaging as well.”

Prof Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in his 20s, had been working with Bafta and Emmy award-winning documentary-maker Anthony Geffen on the project for nearly two years, before his death at the age of 76 in March 2018.

The VR experience is due to be made available to the public in early 2020, alongside a documentary into the physicist’s life, featuring archive family footage and new interviews.