HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Have you ever wished to once again be able to talk with a loved one who has died?

Maybe say something you had wished you had told them?

Or even hear that something special from them?

A local company won't be able to make that happen but it can realize that opportunity for future generations.

The company,

, will be releasing Virtual Eternity on Wednesday.

"The whole concept is legacy creation and preservations," said Don Davidson, the founder and CEO of Intellitar."The idea is I can use a number of technologies available and create a living legacy."

Think of it as "a digital clone, if you will," he said.

A "digital clone" on your computer screen.

Davidson said Virtual Eternity takes genealogy websites, such as

, to another level.

"What we're doing is extending that," he said. "We want to give users the gift of immortality while giving future generations a sense of connection to their roots."

The voice of the "digital clone" isn't a recording of your voice, either. It's synthesized and generates responses to questions.

"An artificial intelligent brain drives it," Davidson said. "It has the ability to capture and maintain a virtually unlimited amount of content."

"It" is an Intellitar. It's the name of the company and stands for intelligent avatar.

Davidson said it takes about three to four hours to synthesize the voice but just a couple of minutes to recreate your image. You can "train it" for the correct responses and continue to add information to the brain.

"It looks like me, sounds like me, acts like me and takes my personality," Davidson said.

If someone asks a question, your Intellitar will answer - in your voice. And, there's no need to worry if your Intellitar doesn't know the answer.

"It will tell you it doesn't know the answer," Davidson said. "It will then record the question in a log and send the collection to the owner, who can supply the answer so the next time someone asks that question, the intellitar will have the answer."

Davidson said he envisioned entertainment applications for the Intellitar including gaming, social networks and interactive 3D family trees.

On the serious side, there's product and employee training for businesses.

"You can put it in a tutorial manner," Davidson said. "The employee would be getting their information from your Intellitar."

And education.

"Online training and education is a huge market," he said. "Think of virtual professors. It's available to interact 24/7.

"Imagine taking an economics class from John Kenneth Galbraith."

There are membership plans available for Virtual Eternity, including ways to upgrade your Intellitar with "expert brains," Davidson said.

"If I wanted to be an expert on fly-fishing, I can go out and purchase that expert brain," he said. "I plug that into my Intellitar and know all there is to know about fly-fishing."

And there's another vital role for the Intellitar to play in this hectic society: With your Intellitar, it is possible to be in two places at the same time.

Very handy.

Budd McLaughlin can be reached at

and 256-532-4527.