A company is providing people with a QR code that they can place on the headstone of a loved one which will pull up memorable photos and videos of that deceased person.
In a viral TikTok video posted earlier this month, Turning Hearts showed how its “Medallions” help people to share visual memories and stories of their lost loved ones with the world — all from a gravestone.
@turninghearts09 This is wonderful❤️
Turning Hearts Medallions — which retail for $99.99 online — have a scannable QR code engraved on it and are intended to be placed on a headstone.
In the TikTok video, which has 7.4 million views, the company reveals how when someone walks by the headstone, they can scan the QR code engraved on the medallion with their smartphone.
The QR code will connect the graveyard visitor them a profile page on Turning Hearts’ platform that was created for that deceased person.
The passer-by may see photos, videos, documents, journal entries, audio clips, or a biography of the dead individual who lies in the grave before them.
In the case of the gravestone in the viral TikTok video, the scannable QR code directs the visitor to a poignant and touching video of a happy couple dancing with each other — and which was their “last favorite memory together” before they died.
In the clip, it seems like anyone who visits can scan the QR code engraved on the medallion with their mobile device and it will connect them to the photos and videos created for that person.
However, according to the company’s website, all the information on the scannable QR codes on its headstone medallions have privacy settings, so that any personal memories can be kept confidential or only viewable by family.
In an interview with ABC4 Utah, founder of Turning Hearts John Poulson and the company’s CFO James Jensen say they firmly believe these QR code medallions are the future of cemeteries and how people will view our ancestors.
They believe that Turning Hearts’ technology allows people to preserve memories of their lost loved ones and make them available to everyone forever.
According to ABC4 Utah, founder Poulson came up with the concept for Turning Hearts medallions as he was staring at his great-grandfather’s headstone when he was 18 years old.
While Poulson was named after his great-grandfather, he had no idea who he was or what he looked like. At that moment, Poulson wished he had access to information and photos about him. Over the next years following that moment, Poulson and Jensen developed the Turning Hearts medallions.
Technology is increasingly allowing the memory of dead ancestors to remain accessible to future generations. PetaPixel previously reported on a grandmother who was able to answer questions at her own funeral with the help of new AI-powered “holographic” video technology.
Image credits: Header photo via TikTok/@shareturninghearts.