London has welcomed in the New Year with a spectacular display of light, color, and plenty of noise.
While fireworks formed the heart of the display, which took place over the River Thames within sight of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, organizers also deployed drones to dazzle the huge crowd as well as those watching at home.
The show kicked off with the LED-equipped drones performing the countdown to midnight:
Later the drones were deployed again for several stunning animation sequences:
For anyone keen to see the entire 15-minute display, here it is:
The displays are made possible by computer software that allows planners to design elaborate routes for each drone, enabling them to create striking images and animations.
Using drones costs less money than fireworks, creates less noise, and eliminates smoke pollution, prompting an increasing number of event organizers to look more closely at using the flying machines instead.
However, the co-director of a company that produced the incredible fireworks show in London on Sunday night said recently that the drawback with drones is that they need time to get into position between sequences. Titanium Fireworks’ Darryl Fleming added that using both methods is a great solution as the fireworks can fill in the gaps when the drones go dark while maneuvering into position for the next sequence.
A recent Christmas display in Texas used nearly 1,500 drones to create an astonishing display that flew straight into the record books for the size of the images that it created in the night sky.