The 18-wheel, double-decker nanoTruck tour of Germany is underway. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research is using the nanoTruck in its information campaign "High tech from the Nanocosmos". At the moment, the truck is parked at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 waiting for your visit.

Films are screened and laser shows are played inside the high-tech vehicle to encourage visitors' interest in the vastness of the Nanocosmos. There are also information terminals and display boards to help visitors find their way around.

Anyone "hitching their way through the Nanogalaxy" will discover such fascinating exhibits as the microelectronic implant encased in a magnifying block, which, when inserted under the retina, is designed to help the blind see again in the future.

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF - German Federal Ministry for Education and Research) www.bmbf.de 

Linux is flourishing: the open multi-platform, multi-user operating system has gained wide acceptance, including in the machine and automation industry. Hence the Open Source Automation Development Lab (OSADL) invites you to attend a press conference and congress at HANNOVER MESSE 2008.

In a press conference to be held on 21 April, Andrew Morton, one of the leading Linux developers and "right hand man" to Finnish Linux initiator Linus Torvalds, will answer questions on the basic components of the Linux operating system and its use in the industrial environment.

There will also be an all-day congress on 22 April to discuss "Linux and Open Source in industry". In addition to Bruce Perens, probably one of the most important protagonists of the Linux community, other high-ranking and renowned speakers have also agreed to participate in this highlight during the opening days of HANNOVER MESSE 2008.

As for how Linux works, there will be live demonstrations in the Application Park of a wide variety of machines from a range of manufacturers running the jointly developed Open Source Software.

OSADL eG www.osadl.org

At HANNOVER MESSE 2008, the star attraction on Luxembourg-based company IAA's stand will be an optical sensor that is almost as flexible in its application as the human eye. Areas of application include people counting, movement detection, monitoring and surveillance of objects and detection of objects left behind.

The vision sensor uses special 3D-MLI SensorTM technology, which is based on the optical "time of flight" principle, realized by measuring "modulated light intensity" (MLI). An illumination unit emits modulated infrared light, which is reflected by the objects in the field of view. An array of sensor pixels then measures the reflected light.

This unique principle allows the sensor to take extremely precise measurements and conduct reliable data evaluations, regardless of the temperature or lighting conditions in the monitored area.

IEE S.A. www.iee.lu 

It has been known for quite some time that cars run on natural gas instead of petrol or diesel are more environment-friendly. Furthermore, natural gas is a considerably cheaper fuel. Unfortunately though, many consider natural gas vehicles to be quite lame. However, at HANNOVER MESSE 2008, the German Natural Gas Vehicle Group will be demonstrating how new turbo engines can eliminate this shortfall.

Two car manufacturers are all set to reveal which nippy yet environment-friendly cars will be on the road in the near future: visitors to the fair will have the opportunity to try on the VW Passat TSI EcoFuel or the Opel Zafira 1.6 CNG TURBO for size, both due out end 2008/start 2009.

DEW (German Energy and Water Association) -Trägerkreis Erdgasfahrzeuge (Natural Gas Vehicle Group) www.bdew.de

Rittal has been awarded the official German eco-friendly label, the Blue Angel: the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation (IPA) recently confirmed the ecological benefits of the "Top Therm Plus" cooling system from Rittal, the world-leading manufacturer of system climate control enclosures, and awarded the efficiency label. Visitors to Rittal's stand at HANNOVER MESSE 2008 will have the chance to have a closer look at this system.

As part of the special Energy Efficiency display, Rittal will be showcasing its "green" energy-saving devices. The improved efficiency of these devices leads to lower energy consumption, which in turn results in huge improvements in the CO2 balance: 200 "Top Therm Plus" cooling units can save 203,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide a year.

Rittal GmbH & Co. KG www.rittal.de  

The robots are coming! According to forecasts by the International Federation of Robotics, worldwide demand for service robots in the manufacturing and service industries, public administration and private households will rise to around 9.1 million units by the year 2010.

The automation boom is creating a growing demand for technical personnel, so HANNOVER MESSE 2008 has set up a Robotics Academy in association with Volkswagen Coaching, offering practial, applications-oriented training courses within the exhibition grounds.

300 square meters in Hall 17 have been dedicated to the training facilities and course participants will be taught the technical basics of robotics during the exhibition, learning how to program robots and finding out about plant safety and application possibilities.

A vast range of the latest autonomous systems will be available for live training purposes. Anybody interested in learning about robotics, regardless of their current level of knowledge, is welcome to join in the seminars.

VOLKSWAGEN Coaching GmbH www.volkswagen-coaching.de 
 

The new exhaust emissions limits for vehicles with particulate filters are so strict that the measuring devices used in the past are no longer able to check them accurately.

At HANNOVER MESSE 2008, this technical loophole will be closed by engineers from Braunschweig Wolfenbüttel University of Applied Sciences when they present the measuring system they recently developed for checking the performance of particulate filters.

Fachhochschule Braunschweig Wolfenbüttel www.fh-wolfenbuettel.de

Wave and tidal power stations offer enormous potential for generating power, potential that as yet has barely been fulfilled. It is estimated that one day up to 15% of the global demand for power could be covered by the efficient use of innovative wave and tidal power stations.

International companies are already working on the efficiency of this form of power generation. ContiTech has an important role to play in this area and will be illustrating its participation in the development of new wave power stations off the coasts of Scotland and Portugal at HANNOVER MESSE 2008.

Exhibits on the ContiTech stand include a hose pump system and air spring bellows for use deep in the Atlantic Ocean. Scottish company Pelamis Wave Power Ltd. (PWP) has developed a system for turning wave power into energy, which comprises four gigantic steel cylindrical sections linked together by means of hinged joints.

This is only possible because the ContiTech air spring bellows they use provide highly flexible and robust seals between the steel tubes and the hydraulic cylinders.

ContiTech is also working with its Canadian partner Finavera Renewables to implement their vision of a wave power station. The project is called AquaBuOY and involves an innovative wave energy converter that works with a hose pump and a buoy: as the buoy moves up and down with the waves, the hose attached beneath the buoy stretches and relaxes.

The water flow that this produces inside each hose drives the water through a fine stream turbine located inside the buoy, generating electricity. Energy from water power - now that's clean energy!

ContiTech AG www.contitech.de

In addition to a wide variety of products from the various exhibitors, visitors to PROMOTION WORLD 2008, which is taking place parallel to HANNOVER MESSE 2008 within the exhibition grounds, can expect to find another highlight waiting for them: the winners of the PROMOTIONAL GIFT AWARD 2008.

The coveted prize is awarded in the following categories: give-aways, communicative products, innovative products, premium products and special designs.

Award-winners include a pocket calculator that runs on water instead of batteries, Notebooks post-sprayed to match corporate identity and real apples lasered with company logos.

-Kathrin Schmidt-