BTR Zeitschrift February 1998

LOBO electronic
ILDA (International Laser Display Organization), umbrella association of the most important companies of the show laser industry, has invited its 140 members to its annual conference. The highlight of the event was the presentation of the globally coveted ILDA Awards, the ‘Oscars of the show laser industry’. A surprising number of awards went to Europe, first and foremost to LOBO electronic. In total, the company received 7 awards from a total of 13 categories. First place was achieved in two of the arguably most competitive categories, where animation and beam shows were awarded.
Light magic in three dimensions
Laser fascinates the masses in theaters, planetariums and at events. The responsible party: A small, but innovative company from Swabia.
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The technology behind this mundane assembly of words has always put people under its spell: Laser. Globally, only a few companies can profit from this fascination by using high tech and creativity to create three-dimensional figures of light or projections in almost any size from the focused beam of light.
While the cradle of the show laser technology was in the US, a small but dedicated community of laser tinkerers soon established itself in Germany, primarily selling their systems to discotheques. Only a few companies successfully made the jump from garages to the global elite of laser wizards. One of them is LOBO electronic from Aalen, named by Prof. Simon as a hidden champion of the industry in his eponymous book.
At a time when fantastical mechanical contraptions with relays and effect disks were still used to create simple light effects, LOBO presented the world’s first adjustment- and maintenance-free projection systems, able to create 16 million color shades from the previously monochrome laser beam. In order to control these complex opto-electronic systems, a development team with six members developed a highly specialized computer system, inside of which eight processors compute laser graphics in real time, while also being able to control slide projectors, light and all necessary peripheral devices. An achievement honored by the Ministry of Economy of Baden Wurttemberg with the State Innovation Award.
With this awe-inspiring technology, the light magicians from Aalen opened the doors to markets where laser was previously frowned upon.
In 1987, a horrified outcry reverberated through the nation, when Harry Kupfer’s production of the “Ring of the Nibelung” did not use conventional stage sets made of wood, papier mâché and color, instead employing several permanently installed laser systems to create sets made of light. These sets did not end at the orchestra pit, as usual, but involved the audience directly in the action on stage. The application of laser in these hallowed halls of culture was the initial spark for the installation of LOBO laser systems on many stages around the world.
Even the GDR government was convinced by the technology of the class enemy. As a present for its 40th anniversary, it ordered the full product range for the Palace of the Republic. By now, there is almost no genre of the performing arts that does not use technology from Swabia: From the traditional Semper Oper, the Munich Kammerspiele, or the avant-garde Dream Theater Salome, to the Karl May Festival in Bad Segeberg. As of late, laser systems from Germany can even be found on American cruise ships in the Caribbean. For 2 million DM, the shipping company Celebrity Cruises had three of its largest cruise ships be equipped by LOBO: the “Century”, the “Galaxy”, and the “Mercury”, still under construction at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg.
But one does not have to travel that far to experience the fascination of lasers in person. Directly in the center of Munich, arguably the most modern planetarium of our times can be found, featuring not only a Zeiss star projector, along with conventional slide and video technology, but also one of the largest show laser systems in Germany. There, laser performances are so successful that star, slide and video projectors aren’t even switched on most evenings.
In addition to Munich, a comparable system is in operation in the Mannheim Planetarium and soon, the Carl Zeiss Planetarium in Stuttgart will put four laser projectors into operation under its star dome. For a long time now, international companies and institutions have availed of the expertise of the German laser specialist for spectacular presentations.
Just in time for the 15th anniversary of the company, LOBO launched a new generation of laser projection systems on the market, re-defining the standard of the technically feasible.
It will be interesting to see what new ideas the nation's creatives will be tempted to come up with by this new toy.