LAB.01

A future lab for teenagers on tour and at the EXPO 2000

Awards:

1. Preis, EVA 2001

3. Preis, ADAM 2001

With the interactive future laboratory ‘LAB.01‘, DaimlerChrysler made a contribution to the EXPO 2000 in Hanover. The overall project was divided into a mobile science exhibition for young people that went on tour and an appearance at the EXPO 2000 in Hanover. Exhibit stations and experience areas conveyed current and future-relevant technological topics and offered teenagers and children the opportunity to experience science and technology, mobility and future technology interactively. From 1999, LAB.01 toured four German and three European cities – Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden, Warsaw, Barcelona and Brussels – in an architecturally striking building. From the European tour to the EXPO 2000 in Hanover, the focus was on learning – independent of corporate products.

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The challenge

The focus on the target group of ‘young people’ meant that the communication had to have a specific orientation: it consisted of designing an exhibition that did not emphasise the company‘s products, but instead created an inspiring learning and experience space for the younger generation. The aim was to convey complex technologies and the connection between man and machine in an interactive and understandable way. The content had to be prepared in such a way that it appealed to the interests and culture of young people. The concept also required a high degree of flexibility, as LAB.01 had to function both as a mobile exhibition on the European tour and asa permanent installation at the EXPO.

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Our approach

The creation of an interactive and inspiring learning centre that brings young people into contact with technology and science in a creative way and enables them to experience technological developments as part of their personal future, turning them into the designers and decision-makers of tomorrow and motivating them to actively shape the future themselves. In a strategic communication campaign centred around LAB.01, DaimlerChrysler was to be presented as a company that addresses young people with its visions of the future and encourages them to think about future visions themselves. The topic of ‘experiential learning’ was not only to be a benefit for children and young people, but also to be conveyed as a message to the media, and the European tour was to achieve a wide reach in order to bring interactive technology experiences directly to young people.

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Skills

Concept, design, realisation

Pressekit herunterladen

LAB.01 ON TOUR – AN URBAN GUEST PERFORMANCE

Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Warsaw, Dresden and Hanover: on its pre-tour, LAB.01 was integrated into the urban space of its host cities and made a contribution to cultural life there. In addition to the exhibition, the mobile science centre offered workshops, excursions, talks and a local supporting programme at each stop. The modular architecture of the exhibition building was a reminiscent of a research station and allowed quick assembly and dismantling. A total of 100,000 children and teenagers were reached across Europe. The primary aim at each tour location was to establish direct contact with the local media and generate local media coverage and media response. The target group PR focussed on youth media. The aim here was to convey not only likeability but also technological expertise, trust and future viability. In addition, an interactive platform was designed on the Internet at www.lab01.com, where interested parties were invited to take a virtual tour of LAB.01 and find out about the EXPO project in advance.

LAB.01 AT THE EXPO – SCIENCE MEETS POP

At the EXPO 2000, the mobile project completed DaimlerChrysler AG‘s contribution to the subject area of technology and mobility as part of the children and youth programme. A tour reminder served as a reference and as an entrance and thematic introduction to the main part of the LAB.01 exhibition. The exhibition tour was then divided into the areas ‘hand’, ‘mouth’, ‘eye’ and ‘body’, following the human body. The exhibition design used a visual and pictogram language suitable for young people and was internationally understandable.

TOUCH GROUND – UNDERSTANDING AND CHANGING

The ‘Touch Ground’ focussed on the control of interfaces using robotic arms, sidesticks or force feedback. Visitors were able to experience how the technology reacted to the touch and movement of their hands. The design of the exhibits encouraged visitors to touch them.

SONIC ZONE – DIALOGUE BETWEEN MAN AND MACHINE

The ‘Sonic Zone’ presented a variety of examples of acoustic dialogue between man and machine. The young people‘s familiarity with computer games was utilised to make the technology of speech recognition and speech synthesis a playful experience. The design was derived from the functional aesthetics of a recording studio. Various exhibits, such as the voice-controlled game table, which allowed six people to play a computer game at the same time, focussed on the human senses and made future interaction with technology tangible.

VISUAL AREA – SEEING THINGS FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

In the ‘Visual Area’, it became clear how optical interfaces enhance human vision. Visitors were able to expand their natural range of perception at various stations using optical and imaging technologies. With the help of their eye movements, for example, they were able to control machine processes. With its cool, slightly metallic atmosphere, the ‘Visual Area’ was reminiscent of an optical laboratory. Among other things, the ‘Eyetracker’ exhibit, probably the world's first public computer terminal with eye control, was created.

BODY SPACE – INTERACT WITH VIRTUAL WORLDS

In the ‘Body Space’, the whole body became the interface between man and technology. Upon entering the room, visitors were presented with a ‘light aura’ projected onto the floor. By moving their bodies, they could emit virtual streams of particles. Once the streams of different people met, impressive cascades of light and sound were created, which could be used to communicate with each other. The physical space was thus overlaid by a virtual, software-controlled space.

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