Laser entertainment and light shows in education

Andrew Thurairaja Sabaratnam; Charles Symons

doi:10.1117/12.468708

28 May 2002 Laser entertainment and light shows in education

Andrew Thurairaja Sabaratnam, Charles Symons

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Proceedings Volume 4588, Seventh International Conference on Education and Training in Optics and Photonics; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.468708
Event: Education and Training in Optics and Photonics 2001, 2001, Singapore, Singapore

Abstract

Laser shows and beam effects have been a source of entertainment since its first public performance May 9, 1969, at Mills College in Oakland, California. Since 1997, the Photonics Center, NgeeAnn Polytechnic, Singapore, has been using laser shows as a teaching tool. Students are able to exhibit their creative skills and learn at the same time how lasers are used in the entertainment industry. Students will acquire a number of skills including handling three- phase power supply, operation of cooling system, and laser alignment. Students also acquire an appreciation of the arts, learning about shapes and contours as they develop graphics for the shows. After holography, laser show animation provides a combination of the arts and technology. This paper aims to briefly describe how a krypton-argon laser, galvanometer scanners, a polychromatic acousto-optic modulator and related electronics are put together to develop a laser projector. The paper also describes how students are trained to make their own laser animation and beam effects with music, and at the same time have an appreciation of the operation of a Class IV laser and the handling of optical components.

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Andrew Thurairaja Sabaratnam and Charles Symons "Laser entertainment and light shows in education", Proc. SPIE 4588, Seventh International Conference on Education and Training in Optics and Photonics, (28 May 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.468708

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