On Feb. 5, more than 111 million people watched as singer Lady Gaga began the Super Bowl halftime show with her rendition of “God Bless America.” But the real ‘stars’ of the show had actually performed days earlier.
A total of 300 Shooting Star quadcopter drones by Intel Corporation joined Gaga for a pre-recorded segment in Houston, Texas. The filming lasted several days, but the majority of it took place on Jan. 30. Intel’s general manager and Light Show Business Lead, Natalie Cheung, spoke in depth about how they had special permission through the Federal Aviation Administration to create the display.
“We were on site for nine days, so we got the proper waivers to fly in Class C airspace up to 700 feet,” Cheung said.
They also were required to obtain approval to fly at night with multiple drones per pilot.
Intel partnered with the NFL, Pepsi and Gaga for the final product. Cheung pointed out that working with Gaga was “a very constructive and very tight collaboration.”
There were rumors of low-flying helicopters being spotted in Houston as part of security, but the drone presentation was kept secret until its debut for the Super Bowl.
Although the shooting star drones are water resistant and are able to withstand a decent amount of wind, extreme weather conditions are not suitable for flight, so Intel, along with the Super Bowl creative team, decided to pre-record the event.
These drones, which are specifically designed for light shows, weight just weigh just 280 grams, are barely over a foot long and wide and fitted with a flying LED delivery system. The shooting stars are capable of producing over four billion color combinations, making aerial illuminations throughout the night sky.
Toward the end of last year, Intel had broken the Guinness World Records title for “Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously” by using 500 drones. Moving as a single fleet, operated by one pilot with a laptop, the drones established the record in Krailling, Germany. Intel had previously achieved this record in 2015 with 100 drones.
For five months, the company even partnered with Disney’s Imagineers to launch the extravaganza “Starbright Holidays” in Orlando, Florida in 2016.
“Our drones, together with Disney’s expertise in animation as well as storytelling, and the music score, together make what we think is going to be a groundbreaking for entertainment,” Josh Walden of Intel commented.
With new technology and innovative resources, drones have many uses. Sophomore Willem Michener, who builds his own custom drones, remarked that there is lots of opportunities for drones whether it be for commercial, military or entertainment purposes.
Many spectators have compared the light shows to firework displays, but with no pollution and UAV technology being reusable, they are environmentally friendly.
Cheung also remarked that there is the “flexibility of creating animations, creating logos [and] creating storytelling” with drones, which can be seen in the halftime show with the Pepsi symbol and the American flag.
“We’re showing regulators around the world that UAV technologies used the right ways can help shape new rules for manned and unmanned aerial vehicles,” Cheung stated after Intel completed the Guinness World Record in 2016.