Medien Bulletin Magazin September 1994

In order to display laser, slides, video, graphics or film with front or rear projection, you do not necessarily need a screen or another common projection surface – you can also use a water curtain.

Some time ago already, LOBO electronic developed such a system for outdoor applications, apparently discovering a gap in the market. After all, the company from Aalen decided to modify the technology in such a way that allows for use in indoor spaces.
In contrast to the outdoor unit, generating a water curtain from bottom to top, modular, stackable water distribution segments are mounted on the ceiling for indoor use. Hundreds of small nozzles generate a falling, surprisingly closed and calm water film, not only suitable for rather massive or intense laser contours, but also for more detailed slide and video projections (Fig. 1).
Thanks to the design of the containers, water can vaporize when the system is shut off, leading only to a slight increase of humidity in the room, where often sensitive technology is housed as well. As a standard, the 4 m wide distributor segments are delivered with a 220 V/1kW circulating pump. All parts are made from corrosion-resistant materials.
For a multimedia presentation set to push all boundaries, open-air water projections onto an area of up to 30 x 15 m are possible. For this purpose, LOBO offers the complete equipment already installed in two containers and thus “ready for use” in the form of a Laser Truck for rent (Fig. 2). The system includes four high-performance lasers, two Lacon-3Plus animation computers with transputer technology, four RGB color mixing units to reproduce 16 million colors, four graphic scanners as well as a heat exchange system, making the unit autonomous from water supply for the duration of the show. Generation of a water screen from below allows for unusual effects, such as large-scale projections onto a gondola swimming on a lake.
The laser equipment is complemented by a sound system with a power of 30,000 Watts as well as a motorized truss system with screen dimensions of 14 x 11 m.
The laser show playback system composed of the laser graphics projector ELGP-3 and the playback unit EPU-3T is sold under the name Economy Line. The integrated beam monitoring allows for safe operation.
In addition to production and sale of projection systems, LOBO also offers an extensive rental service. Upon request, entire laser shows can be offered as full service, both for entertainment as well as for commercial purposes (product presentations).
The manufacturer presented all of these new developments, including the Laser Truck, at photokina/PROFESSIONAL MEDIA in hall 14.