Intel Basks in Afterglow of Super Bowl Light Show Launched by Its Drones
February 06 2017 - 6:48PM
Dow Jones News
By Ted Greenwald
Intel Corp. scored a public-relations coup during Sunday's Super
Bowl halftime extravaganza, showing off a product that wasn't
actually there and isn't available for sale.
As singer Lady Gaga crooned a medley of patriotic songs,
television viewers saw the Houston skyline behind her light up with
twinkling stars that turned red and blue before taking the form of
the Stars and Stripes spread across the sky.
The roving stars were a fleet of 300 Intel Shooting Star drones,
remote-controlled fliers equipped with LED displays. Each
lightweight, four-rotor copter can display any one of four billion
colors at a time, including those of Old Glory as well the logo of
Intel and sponsor PepsiCo Inc., which were shown in the sky as the
halftime show ended.
But the drones didn't actually fly in the show on Sunday
night.
The U.S. flag and Pepsi displays, along with the scene of Ms.
Gaga singing atop the roof of NRG Stadium, were filmed early last
week and projected on the stadium's screens, according to Anil
Nanduri, vice president of Intel's New Technology group and general
manager of the drone division.
The on-screen imagery switched to a live feed the moment after
the singer was seen jumping off the roof, Mr. Nanduri said, and
then she was shown live being lowered to the stage on the field
below.
Many TV viewers thought they were watching a live light show, a
perception Intel didn't go out of its way to dispel. "Our drones
have returned to the ground after an amazing #PepsiHalftime show,"
the company tweeted shortly afterward.
But prerecording was the only option. The halftime production
team needed a solution that would achieve the desired effects even
if the stadium roof in Houston were closed for foul weather.
In addition, federal regulations forbid drone flights above
people who aren't participating in the flight, as well as in the
restricted airspace around the stadium. So, Intel received federal
waivers to shoot the drone choreography 700 feet above the stadium
ahead of the game.
The flying light show was designed during meetings that began in
early December and remote-controlled by a single pilot as the
cameras rolled. Intel executives were pleased with the outcome.
"It's the first time ever we had a Super Bowl where drones were
used, and it couldn't have been better," said Mr. Nanduri.
Fans shouldn't count on being able to replicate the display
themselves. The Shooting Star, one of a handful of flying machines
Intel has devised so far, isn't available for sale.
The company is still gaining experience operating the system and
will decide whether to commercialize it in the future, Mr. Nanduri
said.
The drone division in late January began selling a
general-purpose drone development kit for engineers developing
fliers and associated software.
Intel does see commercial applications for its technology
enabling drone fleets to fly in formation. Although the Shooting
Star system is intended for entertainment -- it has been used at
Walt Disney World in Florida -- Intel envisions uses including
inspections of industrial facilities and search-and-rescue
missions, Mr. Nanduri said.
Write to Ted Greenwald at Ted.Greenwald@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 06, 2017 18:33 ET (23:33 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024