Intel set a new Guinness World Record for the "Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles airborne simultaneously" with its "Drone 100" project staged at Flugplatz Ahrenlohe, Tornesch, Germany.
While the spectacular event occurred live in November, the company was able to show the footage in public for the first time at the recently concluded CES in Las Vegas.
The performance involved 100 small light-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that looked like fireflies in the evening sky. The drones made a number of interesting formations and moved in sync with music coming from a live orchestra, which played the famous Fifth Symphony of Beethoven.
"Tonight, we're gonna have a hundred drones up in the sky, synced up with the orchestra. We're gonna show an audience something a little bit different and it's all happening in Tornesch airport near Hamburg," said Intel's Natalie Cheung in the video that Guinness World Records uploaded on YouTube.
Pravin Patel, the official adjudicator from Guinness World Records, was at the event to personally witness and verify the record. He also congratulated the technology company after the successful display.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said that Drone 100 redefined the fireworks experience while eliminating the inherent risks that are expected from using traditional pyrotechnics.
"The past can be replaced by new creativity powered by drones," said Krzanich at the CES. "This is what it means to reinvent experiences using new technology."
Horst Hoertner, senior director of Ars Electronica's Futurelab, said that Drone 100 is meant to show a different side to drones, which are known to many as weapons. The breathtaking performance revealed that drones can actually be used to create beauty and deliver experiences that are socially meaningful.
The team of flight controllers was led by Martin Morth. He and Florian Berger, Andreas Jalsovec and Benjamin Olsen controlled 25 drones each as these lifted off from the Ahrenlohe Airfield in Tornesch.
Prior to the drone display, a number of preparations were made in order to ensure that the drones will sync with the music from the orchestra. This included creating a software for the drones' flight paths and turning their lights on and off.
The choreography was led by Andreas Jalsovec of Futurelab, who described the software as an animation that needed a strong computing prowess.
"We just took technology and made art out of it," said Jalsovec.
Cheung said that the company is working with aviation entities in order for them to get a good grasp on certain policies, rules and regulations that are all necessary to ensure safety in using drones, particularly in light shows.
"We can work together on different goals to make sure that it's safe," said Cheung.
Drone 100 surpassed Futurelab's 2012 record of flying 49 LED-equipped quadcopters all at once. Watch the spectacular show in the video below.
