Thyssen – Festival of Towers

On the 7th of October, LOBO staged a brilliant laser show on the occasion of the newly opened Rottweiler Thyssen test tower, the first test tower for high-speed elevators worldwide and the highest observation platform in Germany. 246 meters of dizzying height, winds that were not to be underestimated, and ever-changing weather were a thrilling challenge for the crew and engineers of LOBO.

The real task, however, consisted of extremes

The task was to direct a laser performance from a height of 246 m at a distance of 1,300 m, i.e. extraordinarily high and extremely far away, accurately to three narrowly defined spectator areas and, in addition, to connect the eight historical towers of Rottweil with the new Thyssen tower via laser beams on the occasion of the upcoming tower festival. Due to the dimensions, stage fog, as is usually the case, was out of the question. The show music played in the three spectator areas had to be synchronized with the laser show and the accompanying fireworks without any delays.

In just 11 days of preparation, LOBO showed off with extraordinary solutions

First of all, due to the extreme height position of the laser systems on the roof of the test tower, ways were worked out in dialog with the air supervisory authority to exclude any danger to air traffic. For the extraordinary distance of 1300 m to the spectator areas, LOBO decided to use 6 ultra-bright laser systems equipped with PCS: 2 sparks® multicolor systems, 1 sparks® laser monochrome, 2 solid-state lasers monochrome and 1 infinity beam® high-power laser with an incredible effective laser brightness (ELB200) of 44,683 Watt/m². Thanks to the sophisticated post-collimated scanning system (PCS), the total brightness of the LOBO laser systems is increased up to 900% compared to conventional OPSL laser systems - which in this production, despite the huge distance, finally provided the audience with extremely fine, sharp and bright projections.

Thanks to the AMP-6, a super-precise graphic scanner unit from the in-house development kitchen, it was only possible to realize the required, constant and highest accuracy at a distance of 1,300 m: for example, at a distance of 2,400 m, the approximate distance from the test tower to the water tower, the laser beam could be aligned to the target point in 40 mm increments with pinpoint accuracy and permanently. Three laser and multimedia workstations of the type LACON-5® were selected, not only for the control of the lasers, but also for the synchronous linking of audio, fireworks and laser. For this purpose, they were equipped with LOBO GPS time code modules. Two of the LACON-5® were scheduled for lasers, as master and backup, and the third LACON-5® in the rooms of the new "radio neckarburg" for playing the audio program according to GPS time code, taking into account a 2.49-second signal time offset between feeding into the radio station and reception by the listener. This transmission of the soundtrack via radio station ensured that not only the three audience areas, but also any radio listener could enjoy the music simultaneously and synchronously with the multimedia show.

Except for the infinity laser, all hardware was installed in a fully air-conditioned 10-foot Laser Truck® container in a very confined space due to the harsh operating conditions.

Saturday was the day of days. A lively hustle and bustle prevailed in the festive atmosphere of the old town of Rottweiler. A Ferris wheel gave a stately view from there, also towards the test tower. A table 246 meters long in the pedestrian zone, exactly corresponding to the height of the tower, was laid out for guests who made reservations to eat culinary specialties there. The city was full of people. On the tower site, the festivities were in full swing. The opening of the viewing platform was attended by 150 invited guests, including Winfried Kretschmann, Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, and Volker Kauder, head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag.

Kretschmann: "The ThyssenKrupp test tower is a beacon for innovation and citizen participation." "The tower is already many things: it is a future laboratory for a new era of elevators and an impressive testament to the power of innovation and the art of engineering," noted ThyssenKrupp Group CEO Heinrich Hiesinger. At around 8 p.m., crowds gathered at the three designated viewing locations down in Rottweil's old town and eagerly awaited the spectacle. The ten-second countdown, proclaimed by the new "radio neckarburg" and loudly accompanied by the enormous number of spectators, echoed epically across the Neckar valley towards the test tower. Fireworks explosions ensnared the tower, colorfully illuminating the sky. Laser beams from the tower conquered the night sky and majestically laid over and onto the spectators like a protective hand in the form of dancing fans of light and digi in different colors. 12 minutes of unforgettable magic for everyone who was there, accompanied by symphonic dramaturgy - pure goosebumps!

For the finale, LOBO's lasers aimed simultaneously at all eight historic towers of significance from the roof of the test tower for more than an hour and a half, magically illuminating the sky.