Drones: the future of light displays

Cyber fireworks

Jia noted that drones are less polluting and safer than traditional fireworks, and technological advancements have made larger-scale performances possible.

According to him, the company's first- and second-generation drones were limited because they had to be placed one by one. The third generation, however, could take off directly from a box, reducing the setup area and making them more suitable for diverse market scenarios.

"A venue that could only accommodate 200 first-generation drones can now handle 1,000 third-generation drones," he explained. "Moreover, our newly released fourth-generation drones don't even require battery removal for charging; they charge automatically."

The number of drones that can be coordinated simultaneously has also grown. "In 2019, flying 100 or 200 drones felt like a significant achievement. By 2021, flying 800 to 1,000 drones was considered a large-scale performance. But now, flying 1,000 to 2,000 drones is quite common," Jia said.

Last September, the team set two Guinness World Records in Shenzhen with 10,197 drones: the most multirotors/drones airborne simultaneously from a single computer (outdoors) and the largest aerial image formed by multirotors/drones.

This marks an industry breakthrough and represents an immense test of cluster control technology.

Jia explained that the main challenge lies in ensuring that the network bandwidth can support over 10,000 drones and that drones taking off from a sloped lawn can reach the same altitude in a short time, achieving automatic altitude calibration. In these aspects, Chinese drone performance teams, including Damoda, have reached a world-leading level.

However, Jia believes that the development of drone shows has now moved beyond simply pursuing quantity and has entered a phase of creative competition.

"Our current performances emphasize storylines and visual continuity. This requires drones to fly quickly and change formations swiftly," he explained. "We often need to delve deep into local cultures and incorporate them into the shows. For example, in our record-breaking performance in Shenzhen, we used 3,000 drones to create a screen in the sky, performing Wing Chun kung fu as if projecting a movie in the air."

One major challenge for drone shows is endurance limitations. Damoda's current drones can fly for about 15 minutes. "We are looking forward to breakthroughs in battery technology, which would allow for longer and more diverse performances," he said.