Ghost hunter Graham Lewis claims he has captured startling video evidence of the ghost of a small boy by using an ingenious spirit-detection device he made from Xbox gaming technology.
Mr Lewis said he made the chilling discovery at one of Australia's most haunted locations, the Quarantine Station at North Head in Sydney.
"At the Q station I experienced a chilling moment,'' Mr Lewis said.
He said he had his camera set up in a hallway of the building and was alone at the time.
''On the screen I noticed a small figure the size of a child. The figure seemed to be limping, and when I waved the little figure waved back," Mr Lewis said.
He showed the footage to his friend Libby, a medium and expert in the resident ghosts at the Q station.
"Libby said to me straight away, 'that's little Oliver, the son of a former worker at the station'.
"Oliver was reportedly lame in his right foot," Mr Lewis said.
Mr Lewis, who is an electrical engineer by trade, said ghost hunters had traditionally relied on their intuition, regular cameras and handheld meters in their search for spirits.
Sophisticated spirit detection devices
Disappointed by haphazard and scratchy results from these basic tools, Mr Lewis employed his engineering skills to design more sophisticated spirit detection devices, including the Kinect SLS camera, which modifies Xbox gaming technology.
He is constantly designing, testing and modifying his ghost hunting equipment, including the Vortex direction finder, the Spirit Net, and the Kinect SLS camera.
"Xbox gaming users were reporting curious incidents in which the sensor camera, which tracks human movement for interactive games, was often detecting second players in the game when there was no one else in the room," he said.
"I felt this sensor camera could be very useful as a tool for actually seeing spirits.
''I've designed a prototype by attaching the Xbox SLS camera to a portable screen and hard-drive recorder. I've already captured some amazing results in the field."
Mr Lewis has also tested his Kinect SLS camera at nearby Picton cemetery, and on the screen noticed the outline of a figure next to a gravestone.
How ghost hunting is treated by science
Mr Lewis, who lives near Camden in Sydney, first became interested in the spirit world following the death of his father in 1997.
"I was watching TV shows about ghost hunting, and I felt I wanted to find the truth about whether there really are ghosts and spirits around us,'' Mr Lewis said.
"I wanted hard evidence, and as an engineer I felt I could design the right equipment, and most importantly document and analyse my findings."
While he applies his engineering skills in the pursuit of ghosts, he is doubtful that ghost hunting will ever be acknowledged by mainstream science.
"Look, I started out as a sceptic, and I've been experimenting with gear to find the ultimate piece of equipment to most convincingly capture paranormal activity," he said.
"I've seen so much that I cannot explain, and I've gone from being a sceptic to a believer — I believe spirits interact with our environment just as we do.
"Why this is, is the big question," he said.
Equipment aside, he believes that the right mental attitude is perhaps the most crucial aspect of ghost hunting.
"You must go out with the right attitude. If possible go out with a group of friends, don't be looking for dark things, have an open and honest mind, be respectful, and most importantly don't be mocking.
"Speak with spirits politely, as you would with anyone for the first time."
