Brookline man seeks Kickstarter funding to create 3-D experiences of remote natural treasures

Luke Farrer, whose business is called "Mad Spelunker," recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to create a digital replica of Claustral Canyon in the Blue Mountains of Australia, about 2 hours’ drive outside Sydney. The experience is a true 3D model which you can explore and view from any angle. He plans to create an experience allowing people, from their computer, to virtually rappel/abseil down the three waterfalls leading into the canyon, and wander 200 feet below the earth along this beautiful and 50 million year old slot canyon. Sound will be part of the experience.

The fundraising campaign ends on November 14, and Farrer needs to raise at least $37,000 in order to be funded. So far he has attained almost half that goal. 

To find out more, please visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1944997127/journey-to-a-lost-canyon/

IMAX movies like Wild Australia - the Edge (1996), which celebrated the beauty of the Blue Mountains (including Claustral Canyon), are great tourist promoters, and make people feel truly surrounded by nature and feel a sense of adventure. Luke sees bringing “the Edge” to the next level. By providing true interactive control and unlimited freedom of movement, they will provide people with the closest possible connection with nature they can get without actually being there. The film will allow allow anybody to virtually rappel down Claustral Canyon, reconnecting them with the outdoors, and inspiring them to venture out and see the real thing.

The potential audience for this project ranges from travel and hotel operators to the disabled and just simply outdoor lovers. Adventure enthusiasts will be able to relive the best moments they had in Claustral by literally taking these places home with them. It is so difficult, with regular video and photographs, to capture the true sense of being surrounded by nature. "Our experiences allow people to move the camera around, tilt it up and down, and get that unique emotion that is usually only felt when you’re really there," he said."It will also allow adventurers to explore a place and become familiar with it, before they actually go there, making it a safer experience for them. Older and less fit people would also have access to Claustral."

The laser scanner records every physical object it sees, down to the tiniest detail, at a range of 400 feet. This includes rocks, logs, leaves, and ferns. The scans consist of millions of points, which our technology turns into a surface. Digital color photography is then wallpapered onto the surface, resulting in a totally photorealistic 3D model of the canyon. As it’s a 3D model, you can explore it with complete freedom of movement from the comfort of your computer, which means you can fly around as well as walk. This gives people an unprecedented ability to truly “explore” and understand Claustral in a way that photos and videos cannot allow (where you are always at the mercy of the camera).

Farrer's grandest vision is that Claustral Canyon is only the beginning of an extraordinary project to capture our planet’s most incredible places for all to experience in 3D. Here is a list of the SIX incredible places of extraordinary natural beauty he wants to scan:

1. Claustral Canyon, Australia

2. Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

3. Deer Cave, Borneo

 4. Sinkhole Pools in Yucatan, Mexico

 5. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, USA

 6. Tongzi Cave System, China

Please visit his Kickstarter site, and help the dream become a reality!