NEW technology has been unveiled in South Korea that lets you immortalise your deceased loved ones via your smartphone.

近日，一家韩国公司推出了一款应用程序，能让逝去的亲友活在你的智能手机中。

The ‘With Me’ app allows users to “overcome their wounded heart” to take selfies and ‘chat’ with dead friends or family members using avatars.

这款应用程序名叫“With Me”，能让用户“走出悲痛”，通过虚拟化身与逝去的亲友自拍、“聊天”。

The app, designed by ELROIS, combines 3D technology and artificial intelligence to recreate images and personalities of those who have passed on.

该应用程序由ELROIS公司设计，融合了3D技术和人工智能技术，以重现逝者的形象和个性。

Its creators hope the unusual technology will help those grieving to cope better.

设计者希望这种独特的技术能帮助人们走出失去至爱的悲痛。

But the app is designed to begin working while the subject is still alive.

不过，该应用需在至爱之人尚在人世之时就开始运行。

According to the firm, a 3D scan of the person would need to be taken, using a special booth, which uses between 72 and 112 cameras to create the avatar.

据ELROIS公司介绍，首先需在一个装有72至112个摄像头的特殊隔间里，对人物进行三维扫描，制作虚拟化身。

Once complete, a reshaping and auto-rigging technical process begins for the avatar to ‘come to life’ using animation.

然后进行三维动画制作，通过适配与自动绑定等专业操作让虚拟化身“重获新生”。

Users are then able to snap selfies with the digital creation, and even hold conversations with it, all thanks to artificial intelligence.

接下来，用户就可以与虚拟化身自拍甚至对话，这都得益于人工智能技术。

According to an ELROIS spokesperson, the technology can also “track users’ face and body positions”.

ELROIS公司的发言人说，这款应用还能“追踪用户面部和身体部位的位置变化”。

This would allow the avatar to interact with the user in a lifelike manner and respond to changes in their appearance or mannerism.

这使虚拟化身能够像真人一样与用户互动，对他们外表或举止的变化做出反应。

The spokesperson added: “People do everything to remember some precious person to them, or will do anything to move on.

发言人说：“对于生命中特殊的人，人们会用尽一切方法将其铭记，或是用尽一切方法将其放下。

“3D photo-realistic avatar is based on the actual person and it has some interaction with the users, so we think the avatars can be the new way to overcome their wounded-heart with a good function of new technology.”

“三维虚拟化身极其逼真，基于真人信息制作，能与用户进行一定程度的互动，我们认为它有望成为疗治心伤的新方法，利用新技术帮助用户走出悲痛。”

The app can also be used to bridge gaps with the living, by enabling users to take pictures with relatives or friends who may be abroad, and can also let you take a snap with a favourite celebrity.

该应用还能拉近生者之间的距离——它能帮助用户与远在海外的亲友合影，或是与最爱的明星自拍。

The company said: “We are working on the development for making Avatar Cloud Service in the web and mobile to upload their avatars and buy celebrities avatar, clothes and other stuff related with avatars (We call it as 'VAW' or 'vivid avatar world).

ELROIS公司称：“我们正在着手研发网页和移动终端通用的虚拟化身云服务，以供用户上传自己的虚拟化身，购买明星的虚拟化身、衣服等相关产品(我们把它称作‘VAW’，即以假乱真的虚拟化身世界)。

“Now it is still in the process and we have to contact with celebrities' agent sooner to get their avatars.”

“该服务还在开发阶段，我们必须尽早联系明星的经纪人，获得他们的虚拟化身。”

The VAW (Avatar Cloud Service) service is expected to launch at the end of this year.

VAW(虚拟化身云服务)预计将于今年年底推出。