Kinesys designed and supplied the custom motion control system that moves and shapes the “transforming” video screen for U2’s 360º world tour. The system consists of 40 Kinesys Evo zero-speed chain hoists and eight custom built winches, all controlled by Kinesys K2 3D software. The screen consists of 888 individual hexagonal panels, which support 500,000 Barco LED pixels. The entire structure can stretch from its seven meter compressed height to over 22 meters at full extension, forming a conical shape as it expands. The screen structure weighs 52 metric tonnes including the supporting trussing. The 40 Kinesys Evo chain hoists — 16 2 tonne and 24 1 tonne — are connected to the screen structure at equal intervals and at four different heights. These then move, following pre-defined non-linear paths using movement profiles in the form of a spreadsheet, which was then imported directly into K2 and referenced by each of the 40 chain hoists. The screen is flown up and down by eight 7.5 tonne winches running synchronously.
From “Projection Connection,” PLSN, August 2009
