Ben Kacyra: Capturing Ancient Wonders in 3D

Ancient monuments give us clues to astonishing past civilizations, but they're under threat from pollution, war and neglect. Kacyra invented a groundbreaking 3D laser scanning system and is using his invention to scan and preserve the world's heritage in archival detail.

Ben Kacyr's nonprofit organization, CyArk, is now launching the 500 Challenge, an ambitious goal to "digitally preserve" 500 heritage sites. Digital Preservation, a technology twist on brick and mortar conservation, takes advantage of digital content to share the stories and significance of these ancient places with children and adults through virtual tours, online lesson plans, and soon, "the holodeck," in addition to making critical data available to conservators for their conservation work.