Intel Wants To Replace Fireworks With Drones (marketwatch.com) 94
Intel has announced a drone called the "Shooting Star" that has the potential to augment or replace fireworks. The drone weighs about as much as a volleyball and can light up in 4 billion color combinations for commercial entertainment light shows. MarketWatch reports: Whether drone-focused light shows will prove to be more cost-efficient is a bigger question. The devices would only have to be purchased once, but would likely cost much more than a standard small-scale fireworks show. Small-town holiday fireworks displays typically cost about $2,000 to $7,000 for a basic show, according to Premier Pyrotechnics, while the city of Houston spent an estimated $100,000 on its 2016 Fourth of July fireworks show, according to Houston Business Journal. On a grander scale, estimates suggest Macy's Inc. may spend $6 million on its annual Fourth of July fireworks show. Intel's drones are not publicly for sale, and the chip maker would not disclose how much they would cost. For now, the drones are proof of the ability to automate multiple drone flights at once, using software that could be adapted to commercial applications like mapping or inspections.
Where's the kaboom? (Score:5, Interesting)
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Plunging to Earth won't sound like a boom, but smashing into the side of your head at 30mph will.
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Wasn't that the plot of some recent car ad? If you get [snazzy car model], you can outrun rogue drones.
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There's supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom.
Maybe they can keep it fun by using industrial lasers pointed into the crowd.
Make it a "Day of the Triffids" kind of thing.
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I think this would work if the drones would all explode at the end of the show.
Re: Where's the kaboom? (Score:2)
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AMD must be kicking Intel's ass... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:This won't work (Score:5, Funny)
"You can't replace fireworks with stuff that doesn't intentionally blow up. That's most of the fun of fireworks. That you can make a pretty bomb. That's what's impressive. Of course a drone can do much more color variety. But it's a piece of high tech remote controlled/programmed flight equipment."
The LEDs red glare
Arduinos overheating in air
Gave proof through the implementation cycle
That our Python's still there...
I'm afraid it just doesn't have the same ring to it. Nobody is going to sing that at a baseball game.
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Missing the point (Score:2, Informative)
People can also watch a fireworks screen saver while staying inside, and yet they keep showing up for real outdoor fireworks.
Those people don't want a fake show.
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People can also watch a fireworks screen saver while staying inside, and yet they keep showing up for real outdoor fireworks.
Those people don't want a fake show.
No, but they will have to settle for a fake fireworks show in the not-too-distant future if current pressures slowly nudging the rate of upwards growth of a growing laundry-list of forbidden/controlled (or simply caused to become too expensive for most people), materials, substances, chemicals, etc etc, continues unchecked, short of some federal government/military fireworks show.
This is not happening because of concern about the threat of foreign terrorists or to protect the general public health & saf
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Fortunately, there will be plenty of guns for everyone. It's my constitutional right, damnit!!
It could well be argued that not only is owning firearms a right it is a duty, at least a duty as well as a right for US citizens (including those who intend to become but are not yet citizens and women serving in the NG)) between the ages of 17 and 45, as those people are members of the US UO (Unorganized Militia), whether they know it or not and whether or not they want to be, if called to serve during a state of war.
As long as the federal government is throwing our money and our great-great-great grandki
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It's a duty and a right for me to have a gun because I would be just fine becoming a US citizen?! GREAT NEWS! ;D
Heck, I'd sign up for the permit ;D
Intel is really on to something here, (Score:2, Funny)
if they can find a way to have samsung get involved. Now there is your earth shattering kaboom!
may as well watch tv (Score:3)
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Giant drums could provide the booms...
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You'd think so but light shows and festivals have attracted large crowds everywhere. It may not triage fireworks outright but the idea that people won't see anything else if there's no explosion is just silly.
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Just make sure that they have Samsung batteries in them and you'll have your booms, ooh's and aah's.
analog dominates digital (Score:3)
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Analog will almost always dominate digital.
Light switches (okay, mechanical), tea kettles, thermostats, car transmissions, door locks, musical recordings, a veritable smorgasbord of items.
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Analog will almost always dominate digital.
Light switches (okay, mechanical), tea kettles, thermostats, car transmissions, door locks, musical recordings, a veritable smorgasbord of items.
....including the smorgasbord..... (grin)
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Touche! (because we can't do real characters on /.)
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Digital could augment the analog, though. Fireworks create a lot of smoke; that's a great medium for lighting up lasers.
Weighs about as much as a volleyball (Score:1)
FFS, at least use standard weights and measures, like Libraries of Congress and Toyotas.
Seriously, how much does a volleyball weigh? I've never played volleyball so I don't have a clue. 1kg? 2kg? This is important because I need to know how much it'll hurt when the batteries in these things die and they fall on my head!
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Volleyballs could give one a nasty concussion at a certain velocity.
4 billion color combinations (Score:1)
can light up in 4 billion color combinations for commercial entertainment light shows
Total marketing. RGB LED's and PWM has existed a very long time. Sounds impressive until you realize that's just 32bit color.
Fake Fireworks (Score:1)
Basically, it will look like a big stupid christmas tree in the sky. And there will be no explosions, so the audio will be faked too, with huge deafening loudspeakers.
Fake, fake, fake.
Drones are nice... (Score:2)
...but sheep work too. [youtube.com]
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Unbelievable.
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That is really good news for the animals. (Score:3)
Truth is, they're environmentally dangerous in every way, fun as it may be.
The idea of using drones for a light show is a nice one, and could be a way to help professionals make a living of this (because they're also now outlawing drones with cameras in Sweden).
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[citations needed]
Which cities in Sweden are banning fireworks?
What attempt to ban drones with cameras?
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And since I live in one of the cities that has banned fireworks, I will not provide you with a source. But google exist...
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Thanks for the link, I've been busy enough over the past few weeks to miss that story. Interesting explanation of the decision. I wonder if FPV flying for fun / sport will end up with an exemption if it can be shown to be not for the purpose of surveillance? I was tempted to get a FPV to fly in the woods early this year, but this puts me off. I can't find anything about the fireworks ban but I will continue looking.
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And yet for many many years dogs have survived just fine. Banning something because a few house animals get scared reeks of PETA level activism. If you went to coddle your dog look him in a sound proof room.
As for environmentally dangerous. I think we'll be just fine with the level of bangs that typically go on.
Your post reminds me of the guys who wanted to get a rolling stones concert in Vienna banned because of fear the Bose would upset some birds.
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The fact that Sweden is doing something is pretty much proof positive that we should do the opposite.
Sweden has toilets. How about that? Here's your hammer... ;)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum
Congratulations on your logical fallacy. Want a cookie?
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100K on a Fireworks Show? (Score:2)
Gee, can't imagine why some cities have empty coffers.
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Houston, the city named with the $100K fireworks budget, has a balanced budget [houstonpublicmedia.org]. Considering it's $2.3 billion annual budget, $100K is just 0.004% of it's budget. I'll bet the $2K-7K small town fireworks shows cost a lot more, as a percentage of their total budget. As a Houstonian, I'm happy that they spend a little bit of their money to celebrate our nation.
Transient edge of BOOOOM waveform (Score:2)
When a drone can deliver that gut thumping feeling of a big firework going of, the streak of a burning explosive gaining altitude, the another boom of going off BEFORE the 'awww the pretty lights' moment, then I will be impressed.
For now, why don't we let the chemist geeks have their fun mixing up new surprises for us to enjoy.
"Augment" (Score:2)
Am I the only one who thinks fireworks are awesome (not the over-used definition of "awesome", but awesome) by themselves? I was lucky enough once to be very close to a show (right under it) where the crowd was small and quiet - it was like I was seeing/hearing the very extremes of what the universe is capable of. Though it was so high, after the boom, I co
Grand (Score:4, Funny)
Then in the winter months we can eat raw marshmallows and shiver in front of a recording of a roaring fire.
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Those products already exist :-/
Video (Score:3)
I'm surprised TFA doesn't have a video. This is what they're talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
For some reason people these days always seem to want to "disrupt" things. It's not enough to create something new; you have to destroy everything that came before you to be considered a success. I think Intel's drone show looks nice - it's very serene and calm - but fireworks are explosions. This is not necessarily worse or better, it's just a different thing from fireworks, and doesn't look like it'd create the same atmosphere.
On a semi-related note, those who like fireworks might this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]. It's a daytime fireworks show that uses colored smoke trails, as well as microcontrollers to synchronize detonations. Some very cool effects.
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I'm surprised TFA doesn't have a video. This is what they're talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?.. [youtube.com]
And the crowd goes mild.
No - that won't ever replace fireworks.
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What about putting explosives on drones and have a drone demolition battle.
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For some reason people these days always seem to want to "disrupt" things. It's not enough to create something new; you have to destroy everything that came before you to be considered a success.
Not people; this appears to be a predominantly American quality.
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I think it's very pretty, and I see it as a fine complement to existing displays.
The best, can't-keep-your-mouth-shut-because-of-awe shows I've seen combine encompassing sound that can be felt, explosions that are beautiful, and lights that amaze...all perfectly choreographed.
This adds another dimension to that kind of spectacle, like lasers did in the 80s. Except this time, it is precise movable points of light in the sky.
They can also be flown in the DMZ between the spectators and the fireworks launch si
Heh (Score:2)
Well, as long as those drones will be filled with gunpowder in them and explode into the night, then I guess it could be done.
A drone light show, no matter how advanced and interesting it might be, will never replace fireworks.
It's just a different category of attraction.
You could put a million of drones with very strong led lights in them, make them dance around, build some interesting images, formations and whatnot... it would be plenty awesome I guess. But fireworks are all about explosions, fire, the sm
Put the fireworks on the drones (Score:2)
I can see it adding something to the show if the drones are carrying and able to fire conventional fireworks. Maybe re-enact the death star battle from star wars.
Yes, there is the possibility of collateral damage and death - but I'd go watch .
Mix (Score:1)
I can see them complimenting each other. Drones give you complex geometrical patterns, movement, and words; while traditional fireworks give you Kaboom and little sparkles.
Sight, sound, spectacle (Score:1)
Drones at most might be able to match two of those criteria that make fireworks cool, probably more like one. What *could* be cool, though, is fireworks fired *from* drones, which gives you more height and the ability to do cool things that might not be possible from land-launched fireworks.
intel did this last year in Sydney (Score:2)
They did a drone show last year in Sydney at the Vivid festival. While it was cool and different, there's no way that it can replace a fireworks show. They flew impressive patterns and light shows, but had issues with wind and were very complex to setup with a couple of hundred drones.
Here comes the boom (Score:1)