A San Francisco-based company called UVify has set a new world record for the most drones used in an aerial display.
Confirmed by Guinness World Records, UVify’s display involved 5,293 LED-lit IFO drones flying into various formations in a dazzling display that lit up the night sky in Songdo, South Korea, just west of Seoul.
Taking place about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Incheon International Airport, the display team had to obtain special permission from air traffic control and local authorities to ensure safety and compliance with the relevant regulations.
You can watch some of the display in the video below:
UVify describes its versatile IFO drone as a “high-performance choreography swarm drone designed to bring the beauty of drone light shows to the world at an unprecedented scale.”
The diminutive flying machine can stay airborne for up to 25 minutes on a single charge and uses LED lights capable of transmitting more than 16 million colors for shows that can be enjoyed up to 4.4 miles (7 kilometers) away.
The drone shows are created using bespoke software that carefully controls the movements of the drones, enabling them to form words, shapes, symbols — and even animations — as part of each display.
“Today’s achievement is a milestone not only for our company, but also for the broader potential of UAV technology,” Robert Cheek, chief operating officer of UVify, said in a release. “The flawless execution of such a large-scale drone show underlines our commitment to excellence and our ability to push the boundaries of what is possible in synchronized drone performance.”
In recent years, drone shows have become a more environmentally friendly, more cost efficient alternative to fireworks displays, with increasingly sophisticated flight hardware and software paving the way for progressively creative events using the technology.
