Hundreds of Intel Drones Light up Las Vegas Sky During CES
This week, thousands of tech and electronic aficionados kicked off the annual Consumer Electronics Show held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The four-day event, which began Tuesday, January 9, introduces new and upcoming electronics to the public. Companies like Google, Mercedes-Benz, LG and Intel are a few of the big-names to feature products at this year's event.
While the daily events typically wrap up around 6pm, some of the exhibitors took to the Las Vegas Strip to show off some of their coolest and most innovate products after hours. Intel, who has one of the biggest pavilions at CES, took advantage of the open sky and flew 250 light-emitting drones above the famed Bellagio Hotel fountain. The drones, called Shooting Stars, perform a five- to six-minute unbelievable light show and fly twice a night, first at 8pm and again at 10pm local time. The drones are operated by one pilot and each weigh only a few pounds.
If Intel's drones look familiar, it's because they were on display during Lady Gaga's 2017 Super Bowl halftime show last year. During that performance, Intel used 50 more drones than used during the CES event. The drones are also slated to perform at the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea; it's not yet known how many drones will be used there.
The Shooting Stars are programmed using Intel's animation software, and every movement is timed and coordinated in advance by the company's team of animators. Once the drones are in the sky, they're geofenced into place to prevent them from roaming out of synchronization.
Take a look at the video below to see the amazing show. If you're in Las Vegas, you can catch the last shows tonight at 8pm and 10pm.
