With recent oil price rises, fuel efficiency is becoming an issue even in the USA, but still Americans hesitate to part from heavy off-road cars. Taking these two factors together, Dieter Zetsche, president of DaimlerChrysler and Mercedes-Benz, presented the audience with a new full-size SUV with what they call the most environmentally-friendly and economical diesel engine of all time.
To help present this new concept, a sophisticated laser production by LOBO was employed.The presentation of the new evhicle began with a video sequence photographed in California by Jaques Steyn, which then smoothly merged into the laser projection. Three-dimensional laser projections symbolized the route from vision to realization of the new GL-Class. After a rapid interplay between 3D car images and atmospheric beam effects, a green laser beam 'ignited' a pyro effect at the point where the vehicle itself was lowered onto the stand.
LOBO's creative director Alexander Hennig said: "Even experts, established in the media industry for many years, were astonished once they saw with their own eyes what can be done nowadays with state-of the-art laser technology and a handful of smart ideas."
The laser equipment was set-up discreetly in the background using ultra-compact, fibre-fed projectors, increasingd the surprise effect for the spectators dramatically, says Hennig. Four latest generation X15 multi-colour lasers delivered a total power of 60W of pure white laser light which generated the projections using a dual-field projection technique onto a semi-transparent screen. In addition, four monochrome laser systems - each with a power of 3W - were integrated into the stage backdrop to provide atmospheric beam effects.
The system was controlled by laser and multimedia workstations of the LACON series which could be wirelessly programmed and operated via a laptop computer from any point in the show area. Another typical feature of LOBO systems, the data transmission between the controllers and the projectors over approximately 100m, was via a proprietary optical and digital media bus named DDL. In order to guarantee reliability, the complete system was doubled up to provide a full back-up system.
(Lee Baldock)
