For the first time ever during a live televised event, a choreographed aerial drone performance occurred during Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show last night in Houston.
In spite of a drone ban from the Federal Aviation Administration, making the airspace around NRG Stadium a No Drone Zone on game day, 300 Intel Shooting Star drones dotted the night sky around NRG Stadium. Intel received a waiver from the FAA to fly the drones up to 700 feet and also in the more restrictive class B airspace, according to the technology corporation.
All 300 drones, which could be controlled by one drone pilot and one computer, formed an initial backdrop of stars before transitioning into the American flag and then finally, the Pepsi logo at the end of the performance. These drones are developed specifically for light shows and weigh less than 280 grams, featuring built-in LED lights to create up to four billion color combinations.
“Lady Gaga and the Super Bowl creative team wanted to pull off something that had never been done before and we were able to combine Intel drone innovation with her artistry to pull off a truly unique experience,” Josh Walden, Senior Vice President and General Manager, New Technology Group, Intel said in a statement. “The potential for these light show drones is endless and we hope 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.”
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After the halftime show, Intel ran a 10-second advertisement displaying its drones forming the Pepsi and Intel logos.
During the Super Bowl broadcast, FOX play-by-play commentator Joe Buck and analyst Troy Aikman also incorporated Intel’s new ‘Be The Player’ 360-degree replay technology into the broadcast to give fans a first-person account of what it would be like to sit back in the pocket as Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. It was the first time the technology had been integrated into a game.
FOX using Intel’s new ‘Be The Player’ camera technology to show fans what Matt Ryan sees at the QB position #SB51 pic.twitter.com/rTAPDOwzE9
— Mark J. Burns (@markjburns88) February 6, 2017