Pure Land UNWIRED: new approaches to virtual reality for heritage at risk

The UNESCO World Heritage site, the Mogao Grottoes located in Gansu Province, Northwestern China consists of 492 cells and cave sanctuaries carved into the cliffs above the Dachuan River in Mogao. They comprise the largest, most richly endowed, and oldest treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. However, for preservation and conservation reasons most of the caves are now closed to the public. This chapter discusses the range of technologies currently available for the virtual representation of Cave 220, just one of the many caves located at this site. In particular, the chapter focusses on the latest prototype, developed by the authors called Pure Land UNWIRED which uses virtual and augmented reality specifically designed for a unique single user full body immersive virtual reality experience. The discussion includes technical and evaluative analysis of this prototype.