Intel drones set to light up Sydney sky during Vivid festival

One hundred illuminated drones will light up the sky in a seven-minute choreographed routine as part of Vivid Sydney, considered the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas.

Intel’s Drone 100 will perform for the first time over water in front of the Sydney Opera House sails as a backdrop. Its inaugural flight took place last November in Hamburg, Germany, which set a world record for the most number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying simultaneously.

“With drones quickly emerging as an important computing platform of the future, Drone 100 exemplifies what it means to reinvent experiences with new technology,” said Anil Nanduri, Intel’s general manager of unmanned aviation systems for its Perceptual Computing Group, in a statement.

“Drone 100 will capture the imagination of all who see it. Through this experience, we hope to inspire the imagination of Vivid Sydney festival goers and highlight the future potential of drone technology.”

The drones will fly in dynamic formation and showcase different shapes and colours to reveal an animation designed specifically for the Sydney performance Controlled by one main pilot, the performance will be synchronised to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, performed live by the Sydney Youth Orchestra. Weather permitting, the drones will be in action from June 8 to June 12, 2016, starting at 7:55 p.m.

Besides its use in art and culture, drones are likely to have an impact in various different industries including: infrastructure inspection and repairs of tall structures, such as bridges and towers; bushfire management, inspection and eradication; search and rescue, including bush and oceans; fast delivery of medicines and medical equipment in emergencies; and crop inspection across hundreds of hectares of land, including pests and irrigation.

To discuss the potential use of drones in society, a Vivid Ideas panel, ‘Drones for Good’ is taking place June 8, 2016.