The Olympics are synonymous with extravagant opening ceremonies that usually culminate with the lighting of the Olympic flame. Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, featured an extraordinary visual feat in the final closing ceremony this year. “The windy and cold night sky of PyeongChang was dotted with 1,218 drones as they made history with the first-ever drone light show at the Winter Olympics. After this technological extravaganza, the show also set a Guinness World Record for the “most unmanned aerial vehicles airborne simultaneously.”
The main cast of this act was the Shooting Star drone (all 1,218 of them) that was being controlled and managed by members of the drone light show team from Intel. The Shooting Star drone is custom-made for these purposes. According to its official website, these drones are made of foam and flexible plastics and designed for light shows. At 330 grams, each weighs a little more than volleyball.
“The Intel Shooting Star drone features built-in LED lights that can create volumetric 3D images and animations in the sky with over 4 billion colour combinations based on RGBW (red, green, blue and white) LED, synchronized to music and lighting effect. The drones can be used for entertainment, art, branding in the sky, marketing, events, and more,” says Natalie Cheung, general manager, drone light shows, Intel Drone Group, in an emailed response.
