Drones That Stole the Show

For those of you who still might not know, those were Intel drones lighting up the night sky behind Lady Gaga during her Super Bowl 51 halftime performance. Incredible, right? We thought it was a green screen, you know, for Gaga's safety, because being on a stadium roof seems highly unpredictable. But, we were wrong! 300 of Intel’s Shooting Star drones flew behind Lady Gaga; choreographed by lights and shapes in what the company is calling the first-ever drone integration for a televised event. Amazing!

Each weighing less than a volleyball, the drones transformed into multicolored stars and the U.S. flag. The collaboration is the second time Intel and Lady Gaga have worked together for a major performance. For last year’s Grammy Awards, the tech company used a hologram to transform Gaga’s face into that of David Bowie as a tribute to the late singer who died earlier in the year.

The goal of Lady Gaga and the Super Bowl creative team was to pull off something that had never been done before by combining Intel drone innovation with her artistry, producing a truly unique experience. The potential for these light-show drones is endless. Intel's hope is that this experience inspires other creatives, artists and innovators to really think about how they can incorporate drone technology in new ways that have yet to even be thought of for their events.

And ICYMI, at the end of the Pepsi Halftime Show performance, Intel also created a 10-second spot with the drones by transforming its logo into Pepsi’s. A grand gesture for the halftime sponsor! Intel has been boosting the presence of its new technology which, using LED lights, can create more than 4 billion color combinations that are programmed automatically. In May, it choreographed a performance in the Palm Springs desert for the first FAA-approved drone swarm. An alternative to the more traditional and sometimes unsafe firework displays.

We love the outside-of-the-box thinking that was done to bring next generation technology like these drones into an event as large as the Super Bowl. And we only foresee more and more planners incorporating this feat! Kudos to Lady Gaga and Intel for devouring the details of the most technically advanced Super Bowl halftime thus far and setting the newest event trend for 2017.