Flying Drones Put on Dazzling Light Show

A flying swarm of drones performs at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. CREDIT: Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors' Showcase View full size image

If Steven Spielberg ever remade his classic film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," he might come up with something similar to the dazzling display put on by flying quadrotor drones at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The swarm of drones dances a choreographed aerial ballet with strobing light beams and music in a video taken at the event. The futuristic display of robotic control came from KMel Robotics, a startup founded by Kushleyev and Daniel Mellinger, graduates of the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP Lab, according to IEEE Spectrum.

Words don't do justice to the visuals and sounds — just watch.

The UPenn startup previously showed off its robotic precision with the quadrotor drones by having a group play the James Bond 007 theme on an array of instruments such as a keyboard, drums, maracas, a cymbal and a "couch guitar." That past display undoubtedly helped convince Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors' Showcase to hire the roboticists for the Cannes event.

Source: IEEE Spectrum

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