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What is the Drone swarm light show?


A Drone light show is a formation of Drones that are illuminated and synchronised to arrange themselves into various aerial formations.

According to Verge Aero any image can be recreated in the sky by a computer program that changes graphics into flight commands, which then feeds this information to the Drones.

So how does this work?

While it looks incredibly impressive it is fairly straightforward. Firstly, a design team create a storyboard timeline, showing the images and effects. From this, the images are then animated in a particular software that translates them into synchronised flight paths for the individual Drones. The entire show is then sent via radio signal from a ground control station operated by a pilot.

According to Verge Aero: ‘Verge Aero’s design software lets users select graphics and special effects and place them in a timeline, similar to those found in video editing software.

This software calculates the flight paths of each drone to guarantee they don’t collide in the air, and generates a full 3D rendering of the show to ensure it looks exactly as intended. Every drone is sent a unique program and the ground control station monitors each drone over a local, encrypted network for maximum safety.

The flight crew uses a detailed dashboard display on the ground station to prepare drones for flight and continuously monitor status. The drones themselves carry multiple radios operating simultaneously, away from busy WIFI frequencies, to ensure communications are maintained even in busy and noisy radio environments.’

And with any Drone related task, safety is paramount. Prior to every show, checklists are used to make sure everything is in order, including making sure batteries are charged, the flight area is clear and the Drones are fully operational.

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