Discret Fachjournal der Unterhaltungsgastronomie February 2006

LOBO laser show in Detroit
On the occasion of the “North American International Auto Show” in Detroit, Mercedes-Benz presented its new GL class and availed of another South-West German company for this purpose. With an elaborate laser performance by LOBO Lasersysteme from Aalen, the new car was presented to the public for the first time in the American automobile metropolis.
For Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler-Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, this was an important day. Not only did he return to Detroit, an important location in his previous career, but he also had to communicate an important innovation of the traditional Swabian brand to the American public at a large-scale press conference.
With fuel consumption of vehicles having become a topic even in the US with the latest price increases at petrol stations, but people having a hard time parting from their heavy SUVs, Zetsche presented the seemingly impossible squaring of the circle to a stunned audience: A new full-size SUV with the cleanest and most economical diesel engine of all times, authorized even in the US states with the strictest emission standards.
New means of presentation
But Mercedes-Benz did not only trod on new, innovative paths with its drive technology, but also with its presentation techniques: In addition to the combination of video and pretty performers, as is commonplace for such fairs nowadays, an elaborate laser performance made by LOBO set the stage for the unveiling of the new automobile. With this, Mercedes-Benz caused an unmissable sensation, setting the show apart from anything else previously seen at America’s largest automobile fair.
The presentation of the car started with a film by Jaques Steyn, shot in California, and continued seamlessly with the laser projection. Spatial laser projections symbolized the journey from the vision to the realization of the new GL class.
Following a fast-paced interplay between 3D vehicle impressions and spatial beam effects, a green laser beam finally ignited a pyrotechnical effect at the booth location where the new automobile hovered in from above. Project manager: “Even long-established major players from the media industry were stunned when they saw what is possible today with state-of-the-art laser technology and a potpourri of clever ideas.”
The Aalen-based company LOBO, located only about 60 km away from Daimler-Chrysler’s company headquarters, is considered a global market leader for production and rental services in the laser display sector. LOBO is the only manufacturer producing the full range of state-of-the-art laser presentation equipment, from controllers to projectors, thus creating visual experiences that are wholly different from disco lasers known from the 1980s. LOBO is not only considered to be a driver of technical innovation in the industry, but also as the founder of new aesthetics in laser show design, as evidenced by many international awards.
Four X15 white light lasers in use
Thanks to ultra-compact projectors, the laser technology at the fair booth of Mercedes-Benz was subtly in the background, making the moment of surprise for the visitors all the bigger. Still, the technical efforts behind the scenes were enormous: A total of four X15 white light lasers of the newest design with a total output of 60 Watts supplied pure, white laser light for previously unheard of crystal-clear projections in dual-field projection technology onto a semi-transparent screen. In addition, 4 monochrome laser systems were integrated into the back of the stage, providing brilliant spatial beam effects with 3 Watts each. The system was controlled with laser and multimedia workstations of the LACON series, which can be programmed wirelessly via  a laptop from the show area. As usual with LOBO, data transmission between controls and projectors was not done analogously, but optically and digitally via the specifically developed media bus DDL. In order to guarantee for maximum operational safety, the entire technology – from the power supply to the controls and projectors – was set up with double redundancy, so that in the unlikely event of a fault, it would have been possible to switch quickly and barely noticeably for the audience to a completely equivalent emergency system.