CINEMA in the 6TH DIMENSION for Almost a Year Now, Romania’S Capital of Bucharest Has Offered an Attraction Which Is Unsurpassed Worldwide

www.lightcinemas.com

The Light Cinema at the Liberty Center in Bucharest “THRILLS AND CHILLS”

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CINEMA IN THE 6TH DIMENSION For almost a year now, Romania’s capital of Bucharest has offered an attraction which is unsurpassed worldwide. In June 041 2009, The Light Cinema opened the ﬁ rst 6D movie theater in the world in Liberty Center, one of Romania’s largest shop- ping malls. The technology platform was developed by the entertainment specialist KRAFTWERK Living Technologies GmbH in Wels, Austria. A crucial key component for the ultimate movie experience are piezo proportional pressure valves of the HOERBIGER tecno product family. TEXT: Ludwig Schönefeld · PHOTOS: KRAFTWERK Living Technologies GmbH / The Light Cinema

n its current schedule (April 2010), The Light Cinema—www.lightcine- nologies merged all this with a mobile platform (6D): using an aluminum the portfolio of HOERBIGER Automatisierungstechnik GmbH in Alten- mas.ro—offers four 6D movies: “Haunted House,” for example, a trussing system and acoustic panels, the operators of the movie attraction stadt, Germany: piezo proportional valves from the tecno product family. flick in which a black cat experiences crazy things in a haunted can change the location on a whim. house. Or “Snow Ride,” a race through snow-covered mountains, To ensure that visitors can experience the movie in the 6D theater truly over frightingly narrow bridges and through eerie ice caves. Movie A key component of the Moovid6D system are the valves that control the up close, the picture, sound, special effects and above all the movement Ienthusiasts experience vibrations up close, are catapulted forward in compressed air-operated actuators for moving the theater seats. of the seats must be precisely matched to one another. This requires pres- their seats, then back, then to the right and left, and up and down. KRAFTWERK Living Technologies initially experimented with servo direc- sure control valves, which ensure outstanding reproducibility of the pro- tional valves. However, they can only be controlled by time processes. cesses. In addition, all sequences of motion must take place at very uni- Moovid6D form speeds and without jerky pressure gradients. Moovid6D is the mobile theater technology that makes it all possible. A new standard The seats of the innovative Moovid6D Thanks to intensive research and development work, KRAFTWERK Living For the Moovid6D project, it was the goal of KRAFTWERK Living Technol- No easy feat, but they achieved it. After initial pilot tests, the entire seating system can be moved in three axes Technologies was able to implement the corporate vision of the “6D” ogies to go beyond the state of the art to set a new entertainment standard. system for the Bucharest The Light Cinema was equipped with HOERBIGER and promise a very special move movie theater: “6D” is the combination of a 3D video film, seats moving The Head of the Research and Development Department of KRAFTWERK valves. In total, 10 groups of four moving seats for 40 moviegoers were in- experience. in three axes, and a series of special effects. KRAFTWERK Living Tech- Living Technologies Thomas Gellermann found an appropriate solution in stalled. Each group of seats is equipped with three pressure control valves. Special software controls both the high resolution 3D video pro- from KRAFTWERK Living Technologies, the audience is also right in the jection and the movements of the seat groups. The software sends the middle. Combined with a high end audio system, “intelligent” spotlights, control signals to the piezoelectric control unit of the proportional valves. and effect lighting of the auditorium, the movie experience becomes the The electric signal is then converted into a pneumatic signal as the actu- ultimate kick “that will give you thrills and chills,” as promised by the ad- ators keeping the seats and visitors in motion during the performance are vertisement for “Snow Ride.” operated with compressed air. Since its opening, the 6D theater from The Light Cinema in the Bucharest Entertainment with a kick Liberty Center has wowed hundreds of visitors every day. To the satisfaction And these movements pack a punch. The moving seats have three de- of operators and investors, the corporate vision of KRAFTWERK Living grees of freedom: They can move forward and back, to the right and left, Technologies has proven to be a crowd magnet. And KRAFTWERK Living and up and down. These movements immerse the moviegoers in the ac- Technologies GmbH from Wels once again proved its role as an interna- tions of the film, further intensifying the experience. In addition, a variety tional trailblazer when it comes to innovative ideas relating to the media of effects provide a special kick: vibrations, water and air blasts aren’t just attractions sector. The piezo proportional pressure intended for the actors on the screen. With the Moovid6D technology valve tecno easy from HOERBIGER is used to precisely match the movement of the seats in the theater. The valve allows short response times and offers The movie theater in the Liberty Center in Bucharest maximum control precision. has truly become a popular attraction.

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043 PARTNERSHIP PART Founded in 1992, KRAFTWERK Living Technologies GmbH in Wels, Aus- Piezo proportional pressure valves of the tecno product family from tria, is a global leading provider of comprehensive technical solutions in HOERBIGER are used in particular for applications requiring extremely the entertainment industry. “Our customers benefit from the one-stop short response times and maximum control precision. Their three key handling of the project—from planning to implementation, and beyond. components are control electronics, the piezo control unit, and a pneu- Thanks to our broad network, we offer integrated concepts without cost- matic pressure intensifier with integrated pressure sensor. The pressure intensive interfaces,” said Head of Sales Werner Kepplinger. “Using a sensor measures the current output pressure at the pneumatic master wide variety of state-of-the-art technologies, we produce reliable and cre- valve. The integrated electronic controller compares the sensor signal to ative solutions. We run the gamut from audio, video, and lighting technol- the electric target value and then precisely regulates the output pressure to ogy to media controllers, and special effects.” the specific target value.

The special effects delight the visitors The portfolio of KRAFTWERK Living Technologies ranges from design, Compared to alternative control technologies, the operation of piezo pro- of The Light Cinema. the development of detailed customer-specific solutions as they relate to portional pressure valves from HOERBIGER is extremely efficient. Valve engineering, the selection of integrated technologies and key compo- throughputs of up to 1,600 liters per minute are easily attained. Precise nents as well as their installation and programming, to maintenance and control of these air volumes is achieved by a 24-volt low-voltage system service: “We merge design, functionality, and emotion into an attraction. using only 0.8 watts of power. Extensive experience allows us to optimally select complex technologies. In this way, we create fascinating and functional comprehensive solu- For niches with maximum requirements tions,” said Werner Kepplinger. “The satisfaction of our customers is Due to the low power consumption, the tecno valves develop only little always our top priority and guides our daily actions!” specific heat. They are suited particularly well for extremely constrained installation spaces, in which larger amounts of heat are difficult to dissi- PART OF Innovation and beyond pate. For this reason, piezo proportional pressure valves from HOERBIGER The British firm The Light Cinema was founded by John Sullivan and Sullivan and Keith Pullinger redefined their “cinema” product for their Outstanding technological solutions, such as the multidimensional move are used not only in mechanical engineering, but in numerous technolog- Keith Pullinger. The two company founders have many years of experi- business model. Their product idea merges state-of-the-art digital cine- experience implemented for The Light Cinema in the Moovid6D technol- ical market niches in which the combination of high power, low consump- ence in the film and movie industry. An incredibly popular attraction that ma technology with choice ambience, lifestyle elements, and outstanding ogy, are typical of the portfolio of KRAFTWERK Living Technologies: the tion, and low waste heat are especially critical. is unmatched anywhere in the world is the 6D cinema implemented by gastronomy. The Light Cinema differ from their competitors in more than clientele of the company in upper Austria includes theme parks, show- KRAFTWERK Living Technologies in Bucharest. “Romania has never had just 3D technology: the foyers and restaurant areas are also available as rooms and “brandlands,” multiplex theaters, casino and hotel establish- In such niche applications, the reliability of the components used is of any cinemas like this,” said Keith Pullinger. “We are excited about the conference and meeting rooms—with an accordingly high standard. ments, discos and night clubs, museums, and exhibition and conference prominent significance. Often, the installation location of the valves is dif- idea of being a technological trailblazer in vibrant and enthusiastic cities centers. KRAFTWERK Living Technologies supplies entertainment con- ficult to access. As a result, Operational Excellence in production is a cru- such as Bucharest with digital world class cinema.” The Light Cinema expanded into Germany after testing the formula for cepts which are not only innovative, but go far beyond a “normal quan- cial factor for customers in these market segments. They cannot afford success in Romania: on July 1, 2009, John Sullivan and Keith Pullinger tum leap in innovation.” This is represented by the performance goal of failures. Different from the competition opened their latest digital theater in the Neustadt-Center in Halle/Saale. “Innovation and beyond.” It takes a healthy portion of entrepreneurial spirit to establish something www.hoerbiger.com new in a market fiercely contested by powerful players. As a result, John www.lightcinemas.com www.kraftwerk.at