Drones light up the sky with American flag during Lady Gaga Super Bowl halftime show

Collaborating with Pepsi and the NFL,Intel deployed 300 of its Shooting Star drones to create an image of the American flag as halftime performer Lady Gaga performed at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

The drones were recently tested with Disney, as this past holiday season, visitors at Disney Springs—a waterfront shopping, dining, and entertainment district—saw 300 of the drones deployed in the night sky. “Starbright Holidays, An Intel Collaboration” was held during this past holiday season. During the show, the drones performed a synchronized light show choreographed to holiday music.

Intel’s Shooting Star drones are 15.11 in x 15.11 x 3.66 in. (384 x 384 x 93 mm) with a rotor diameter of 6 in. and can fly for up to 20 minutes. The drones have a maximum takeoff weight of 0.62 lb. and can fly up to almost one mile away. Additionally, the drones feature built-in LED lights that can reportedly create more than 4 billion color combinations in the sky. All 300 drones are controlled with one computer and one drone pilot, with a second pilot on hand as backup. In order to perform at the halftime show, Intel received a special waiver from the FAA to fly the fleet up to 700 feet. Furthermore, they were required to obtain a special waiver to fly the drones in the more restrictive Class B airspace.

Steve Fund, CMO at Intel, commented on the drones in Forbes.

"We have been using our drone technology to create amazing experiences. We put the Intel logo in the sky in Germany. We recently partnered with Disney in their fireworks show—they used drones instead of fireworks. We can program them to create any pattern that you want. We think we’re doing something that’s unique," he said. "We knew our technology would be utilized in the game. We just think it takes things to the next level."

While the technology and the end result is undeniably impressive, Wirednotes that the drone performance was taped on an earlier night, and did not appear live to the crowd at Super Bowl LI. Still, 300 drones were still launched into the sky to form the image of an American flag. Whether or not it was live, it’s still quite impressive, and gives us yet another glimpse into how drones can and will be used now and in the future.

View more information on Intel Shooting Star drones.

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