Gooii Portfolio: Augmented Reality ghost walk at Rufford Abbey, Nottinghamshire
The world’s first holographic Augmented Reality ghost walk
Summary of project
The ‘Rufford Ghost Walk’ is the world’s first holographic ghost walk. Using 5G technology and AR headsets, visitors will be able to walk amongst the undead and experience Rufford Abbey’s historical past all at the same time.
The project will be based at Rufford Country Park’s ‘Abbey’ and was developed as part of Nottinghamshire County Council’s ‘5G Connected Forest’ project.
The experience will enable groups of ghost hunters to put on a headset and walk around Rufford Abbey and see holographic AR ghosts walk through walls and watch echoes of their grisly past projected in front of them. Watching holographic ghosts coming back to life is an authentic, immersive experience that brings a new innovation to historical sites such as Rufford.
Key deliverables
- Holographic and Augmented Reality ghost walk
- Interactive mobile app for AR headsets
- Shared experiences for each group of ghost hunters
- With a pool of over 40 different ghosts, there’s a unique experience with every visit.
Project status
Post production of the holographic experience is now complete and we are currently moving towards commercialisation of the experience, which involves on location set-up. When we’re finished on site, the project will be handed over to Rufford Abbey and Parkwood Outdoors for delivery to the public.
Partnering technology to create the Augmented Reality ghost walk
- Microsoft Hololens2 headset
- Subpac’s wearable tactile and surround sound audio system
- A brand new 5G network developed as part of the ‘5G Connected Forest’ project.
The holographic ghost walk – why watch a film, when you can be in one?
When standing in the dank and dusky crypts of Rufford Abbey, groups of ghost hunters put on the HoloLens 2, a holographic headset, and watch a ghost story unfold before their very eyes. Donning an AR headset, ghost hunters are able to watch spirits recreating the tales of Rufford’s gruesome past.
The beauty of this AR technology is that it projects holograms of the dead into the real world landscape in front of you. Historical characters appear out of the fog and walk out of the walls, coming back to life in the same location you’re standing in. This is very different from VR that is entirely computer generated and takes you to a different location. Here we use the real world and project the holograms into it, with users being able to see as normal the whole time.
Get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at our filming days
The client
The AR experience was developed as part of Nottinghamshire County Council’s ‘5G Connected Forest’, a unique research project developed to test how 5G technology can boost tourism and the environment in a forest setting.
As part of the Government’s 5G ‘Testbed and Trials’ programme, Gooii was one of the lead project partners and worked alongside the council and Parkwood Leisure to assess the potential for 5G applications in Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest area. We were proud to work alongside such incredible consortium partners.
For this project we also worked on the world’s first interactive holographic film ‘An Arrow Through Time’, bringing the story of Robin Hood to live using Augmented Reality at Sherwood Forest.
The brief
We were asked to enhance the visitor experience at Rufford Country Park by taking advantage of 5G technology in a rural area and to develop XR (extended reality) content in a heritage location. As an award-winning XR development agency, we were excited to take on this challenge.
The clients had a vision for visitors to truly experience the history of Rufford Abbey, rather than just hearing it or seeing it. They wanted to make it feel as though you were right there, witnessing it first hand.
How it works
The Rufford Ghost Walk mixes live action video with CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), and is run on a 5G network. As part of this we networked the headsets, ensuring all visitors in a group get to see the same content, in the same place and at the same time. The content is then streamed from cloud servers and with over 40 ghosts all delivered at random, this ensures a truly unique experience with every visit.
Read more about how AR can be used for the travel and leisure industry
How to use this technology in your industry
The possibilities of using Augmented Reality in travel, tourism and hospitality are endless, as the technology enables customers to have more immersive and interactive experiences. Historic landmarks, trails, excursions and attractions can come alive with AR maps, narratives, films and experiences. At Gooii, we push the boundaries and art of what’s possible, using the latest technologies to blur the lines between XR, cinema, theatre, tourism and live events.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss how we could develop AR apps and experiences for your business.