Games & Parks Industry June 1996

During the 1996 SIB fair in Rimini the stand of Lobo Electronic GmbH, a German worldwide laser specialist, stood out from the others not only thanks to impressive size but also because of its special atmosphere. Entering the 1,000 m² soundproof area visitors got the feeling of being on another planet. The sound of sprinkling water, the singing of the birds, and first of all the laser show ‘The Secret of Bermuda’ took people on an overwhelming journey through the coral reefs of Bermuda. The presentation ended with gigantic beam show synchronized to hot Latino beats.
With this multimedia show Lobo entered into a completely unknown territory. For the first time they left aside of the conventional projection screens and used the latest generation of their proven water screens (the TL series of the Lobo product range).
Underwater sceneries which seemed to be “flying” freely in the room were projected on the fine water drops by using both lasers and slide projectors.
Five water screens were positioned partly one behind the other and fixed on a triangular, 25m long truss system so that the result was a projection area of almost 150 m².
In order to increase the plasticity, there were also panoramic slide images in soft-edge technique projected onto the back side of the truss and the ceiling.
The use of several laser projectors and the fast change of the different screen levels made the illusion of a 3D and multi-color "aquarium" perfect.
The show was controlled by real-time computers installed in the Laser Truck, which were responsible not only for the control of the 8 laser projection channels and the 14 slide projectors but also for the control of the synchronization of the lighting, light pads, pyrotechnics and all water screens.
"This kind of 3D projection – the managing director of Lobo, Lothar Bopp commented – has shown to be very practical. In contrast to the usual stereoscopical methods, the spectator of the show does neither have to stand at the "optimal point of view" nor is he forced to wear any colored or polarized glasses. "