Belgian innovative barometer at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China 

The World Expo 2010 in Shanghai is set to be the greatest of its kind; greater than ever before and – according to the experts – greater than it will ever be. In the same way as China achieved world acclaim with its Olympic Games, it wants to show us all again what it is capable of. The vast complex, just outside the city centre of Shanghai, is set to welcome more than 80 million visitors over the next 6 months. The Expo is predominantly aimed at Chinese visitors, who will have the opportunity to get an idea of what is happening in the rest of the world. But it is also expected that millions of foreign visitors will be amazed at the latest high-tech devices on show.

The Belgian pavilion will be exhibiting its traditional chocolate, beer and diamonds, and of course its main raw material: knowledge. In the centre you will find an immense brain neuron with exceptionally clever light effects. Also, the Belgian pavilion has been chosen as the host for the European Union, which will increase its value as a great attraction.

In the scientific part, well-known personalities such as Dr. Paul Janssen and astronaut Frank De Winne are in the spotlight.    Here Dingens Barometers & Clocks was offered a unique opportunity to present its brand-new barometer, right in the centre of the Belgian-European pavilion.

In 2009 a new barometer system without mercury was invented by Dingens Barometers & Clocks: The Innovacelli Barometer: This was done in collaboration with the Innovatiecentrum Limburg, IWT, Universiteit Hasselt and Sirris. The mercury has been replaced by metal boxes that react to the changing atmospheric pressure. The movements of the boxes are transferred to a liquid in a glass tube, which gives an extremely accurate reading of the atmospheric pressure.

The “Innovacelli Barometer” will be presented at the Expo as an exceedingly accurate, durable and ecological replacement product for the age-old mercury barometer. With this new barometer Dingens has managed to meet the requirements of the spirit of our ecological times and has contributed to the theme of the Expo: Better City, Better Life.

The opportunity Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) offers by enabling our participation in the World Expo really means the cherry on the cake for our collaboration.

On the other hand the financial contribution from a Chinese partner was very important. The fact that the Expo is taking place in their home town can be considered unique.

Developing weather instruments for both consumers and professional users remains our main objective. The new product was developed with user-friendliness as our primary goal. The additional options that were added give the barometer an advantage over the original mercury barometer.

The high degree of accuracy can open the door to other markets in the field of professional precision pressure measurements. We can manufacture customised products for medical science, labs and industry. Dingens Barometers & Clocks has been given the opportunity to make this known to the world by giving a presentation on the Health Care Day during the Expo Shanghai on 19 May 2010.

All attention is now focused on the export of this unique product. Apart from directly approaching potential customers during the Expo 2010, the Expo can also be used as a reference for Dingens Barometers & Clocks to launch the new product worldwide. With distribution centres in Kunming (China) and Boston (USA) we will be able to make this ambition come true.

In the footsteps of Ferdinand Verbiest ...

A symbol of China – Belgium coöperation.

In the course of the centuries several Belgian scientists have played an important part in the development of meteorology. Ferdinand Verbiest (Chinese name: Nan Huairen) was a Flemish missionary and scientist. He was a very eminent astronomer at the imperial court of Kangxi during the Qing dynasty in the 17th century. He was ordered to rebuild the Old Observatory in Beijing and restock it. He also experimented with meteorological instruments and researched “the state of the air”.

The development of the new precision barometer came about in the footsteps of Ferdinand. For half a century Dingens Barometers & Clocks has developed and manufactured meteorological instruments and with the environmentally friendly Innovacelli, wishes to contribute to a better city, better life for the future.