LOBO Launches "World's Largest" Display Laser Installation in Turkmenistan

	New Year's Eve laser projection from the Anayasa Tower in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

On New Year's Eve, a huge laser projection appeared on the monumental facade of the 175m high Anayasa tower in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Slowly, the figure "2011" faded away as lasers counted down the last seconds of the year. The gathered crowd cheered as the year "2012" appeared and the entire city shone brightly under fireworks. LOBO, the German laser company, played a key role in the event.

At the same time, a giant permanent laser installation was launched for the first time. It underwent continuous operation in January. The installation connected the highest towers of the Turkmenistan capital city with laser beams in the national color of green. Display lasers were also part of the project, used for brilliant building projections, which were seen for the first time at New Year's Eve.

According to rumor, the president of Turkmenistan himself had the idea for this project. On his behalf, the largest Turkish construction corporation, Polimeks, searched for the ideal partner for implementing this demanding project. Numerous companies in the display laser industry brought in ideas, concepts and offers. In the end, Lobo won the competition.

A total distance of almost 30km had to be spanned between all the towers in an extremely bright environment. To provide optimal visibility, all beams were designed bi-directionally. Only lasers of the highest brightness class were used. The ultra-bright lasers of Lobo's sparks series served as the primary technical basis for the project, but Coherent Verdi lasers were also used. The automation of the installation is handled by Lobo's proprietary LACON-5 platform. Thanks to integrated GPS-modules, it also takes care of absolutely exact synchronization of all laser systems, the company says.

Lobo's creative director, Alexander Hennig, said, "Thanks to our own 10km-long laser test track, we could show our clients that it is not enough just to install any kind of high-powered laser. We had to achieve an especially high effective brightness. This depends mostly on the interaction of several factors beyond laser power. Superlative beam quality was a key criterion at this project. In the Lobo laboratories, specially designed optics were developed for this installation, guaranteeing optimal light density even over extreme distances.

Considering the enormous extension of the installation, officials of the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) believe that it is the largest permanent display laser installation in the world. Turkemistan's president personally inspected the installation himself from a helicopter. It is said that he was very satisfied with the result.