Organisers enjoyed more than a measure of success when Huddersfield’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre opened its doors to mark World Metrology Day.

The theme for World Metrology Day – celebrated in more than 80 countries – was Measurements and Light. The 3M BIC’s “open house” provided a platform to highlight the key role light and optical technologies play on our daily lives.

The event was supported by Huddersfield University’s metrology research centre and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which has a presence on Innovation Avenue at the 3M BIC.

NPL is one of the UK’s leading science and research facilities and is a centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate standards, science and technology available.

Lectures based on the relevance of metrology and light in business were hosted by NPL and the university’s metrology team. There was also a presentation on automotive engineering from TeamHARE, the university’s Formula Student racing car team.

Visitors could also access science laboratories on Innovation Avenue and observe various interactive experiments using state-of-the-art technology.

Guests took part in a number of hands-on displays in the atrium, including thermal imaging, Hexagon laser scanning and a LEAPtech demo, which interacts with cyberspace. Other activities included a CSI style forensic investigation using the advance surface microscopy of spent cartridge cases to identify the perpetrator of a fictional crime.

Visitors also had the opportunity to enter a number of competitions, including a prize draw to be scanned and their bodies turned into 3D miniatures, which will be sent to them after the event.

Dr Michael Wilson, technology director at the 3M BIC, said: “The event was designed to showcase metrology in a fun and interactive way, to help people better understand what it is.

“It’s not always obvious that light is used as a tool for measurement, but it is a fundamental part of many devices such as lasers and microscopes used in surface measurement.

“The event proved to be a huge hit and it was good to see a mix of small and large companies taking part in the activities and experiments.”