THE NANOTRUCK

Nanotechnology is set to be the key technology of the new millenium. To raise public awareness of the complex and fascinating world of nanotechnology, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research initiated the "nanoTruck" project. Since the beginning of the year, the nanoTruck has been touring Germany and providing visitors with information on the current state of research and the potential for developments in nanotechnology with a three-minute laser show. Laserland/Emotion Media Factory designed the show and supplied all the necessary equipment.

The word "nano" comes from the ancient Greek for "dwarf". The objective of nanotechnology is to identify new properties of objects on molecular level, to understand their causes and to translate this knowledge into technical developments. The scale involved is smaller than one ten-thousandth of a millimeter. >From computer chips to telecommunications and catalytic converters, from medicine and superlight construction materials right up to modern space travel, nanotechnology will in future be the key issue in virtually all areas of research. The nanoTruck (www.nanotruck.net), sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, provides visitors with information on all this in a three-minute introductory laser show. Laserland/Emotion Media Factory was commissioned by the prestigious PR agency "Flad & Flad" (www.flad.de) to design the show and take over the technical implementation. The fully automatic laser system supplies the three different projectors via fiber optic cables and its extremely small dimensions mean that it is entirely invisible to the public. Visitors to the opening events were stunned. For the next three years, the nanoTruck will be touring Germany and informing the public using the show provided by Laserland/Emotion Media Factory, a show which is a reflection of nanotechnology itself: Tiny dimensions with a massive impact!