We all know that drones — also known as quadcopters or unamanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — have seen explosive popularity in the past five years or so. But I’m willing to bet that last night’s Super Bowl halftime performance by Lady Gaga boosted that popularity even further.
The performance, guest starring Intel’s Shooting Star drones, lit up Houston’s skyline as well as TVs around the world. The Intel Shooting Star drones outfitted with LEDs bookended Lady Gaga’s onstage performance, opening with a pulsating starfield that morphed into the American flag and then ending with a floating Pepsi logo and Intel logo in an advertisement immediately following the halftime show. Aside from the intersection of patriotism and commercialism, the impressive drone display introduced millions of viewers to drones as entertainment.
Unlike consumer drones from Intel, the Shooting Star drones lack collision-avoidance sensors. As a result, the 300-drone fleet at the halftime performance were controlled by a single pilot and backup co-pilot, while the beautifully orchestrated LED portion was pre-programmed. But as Brian Barrett at Wired points out, the technology Intel uses in the Shooting Star drones could be used for practical and life-saving applications (something Mouser addresses in its Project First Responders series).
Whatever the applications, last night’s performance surely sparked even more interest in drones and their applications, from record-setting preprogrammed light shows to backyard hovering just for fun.
Catch the full half-time show here.
