Intel partnered and put up a dazzling night display of 100 drones swarming to create some incredible after hour displays. Check the video for what they came up with.
This just goes to show we’re not far away from Disney’s Patented display for drones controlling Macy’s Day Parade style floats.
So over the holidays we saw that TGIFridays in the United Kingdom was attempting to create a buzz by having people kiss under a mistletoe-toting drone. The program started in a Manchester location and was expected to spread across the nation to select locations as well as over seas to the States.
Spokeswoman Rachel Waller said:
“Everyone loves a good Christmas party, but we all know things can be a bit awkward until someone breaks the ice.
“We’re known for legendary celebrations at Fridays, so we wanted to see how we could make Christmas get-togethers in our restaurants even more entertaining, and offer guests the encouragement they need to make their move.
“Our mistletoe drones are the perfect way to do this. Not only are they great fun for the entire restaurant, but they help people get a little closer at this time of the year.
“Who knows – maybe we’ll have had our first mistletoe drone wedding by this time next year.”
This is one of those things that you say, “That sounds pretty cool, but I know this is going to end poorly.” And sure as a lactose intolerant, ice cream eating, toddler in a haunted house poops his pants, this did not go so well for a Brooklyn based photojournalist. Georgine Benvenuto was injured with one of the drones.
“It literally chipped off a tip of my nose,” said Benvenuto, using tissues to stanch the blood. “It took off part of my nose and cut me here, right under my chin,” Benvenuto said.
The TGIFriday’s drone operator, David Quiones, came back with a gem of a quote:
“If people get hurt, they’re going to come regardless. People get hurt in airplanes, they still fly. There is a risk involved — anything flying, there is risk.”
He’s right – there is a risk in flying – but you expect a risk getting on a plane, not when you’re ordering Jack Daniels smothered potato skins.
#Togethermas
Weird Al, the purveyor of all things weird and Al’ish, the same man who has parodied songs by everyone from Micheal Jackson to Miley Cyrus, has taken to selling drones. He appears in a Christmas 2014 ad for RadioShack selling a line of quadcopters created by Interative Toys. A female customer walks in and requests a HeliQuad (an ultra-basic entry level drone) and Weird Al kicks into action. By the end of the commercial his pet drone lands on his “gloven” wrist à la a falconer.
At the time of this writing, RadioShack has 9 drones for sale and assuming they are miraculously able to stay in business, I would expect them to grow that offering.
Check out the intentionally borderline annoying performance here:
Wearable drones might become a reality thanks to developers of Nixie. It’s more likely, however, to interest adventurers than fashionistas. Nixie is a tiny drone that weighs less than a tenth of a pound and is worn on your wrist. The wrist strap unfolds to become a quadcopter which can fly off to take pictures or videos before returning to you! This sounds perfect for activities that require too much concentration (or too many hands!) to pilot a drone -think rock climbing or mountain biking.
Nixie will have several modes including Boomerang mode, Panorama mode, Follow me mode, and Hover mode. “We’re not trying to build a quadcopter, we’re trying to build a personal photographer,” says project manager Jenna Jovanovic.
There are prototypes and concept renderings are in existence, but the final form of the device is still in the works. Let’s keep an eye on this and see where it goes!
What happens when Cirque du Soleil, ETH Zurich, and Verity Studios partner to develop a short film featuring quadcopters in a flying dance performance? Introducing “SPARKED: A Live Interaction Between Humans and Quadcopters,” a wonderfully orchestrated four minutes showcasing ten quadcopters moving in sync along with a human to create a whimsical little story. It’s amazing to watch knowing that no CGI, wires, slow-mo or fast-forwards were used; everything you see is real and can be attributed to the quadcopters. Watching such skillful piloting makes me want to go out and practice flying! Watch the video below and see for yourself one of the many ways drones can and will contribute to the entertainment industry.
Learn more about Flying Machine Arena and the making of Sparked: http://flyingmachinearena.org/sparked/
Looks like even Martha Stewart is jumping on this one-way drone train. After having her farm photographed by a DJI Phantom, Martha tweeted that she “ loves the possibilities and opportunities drones offer” and asked followers what they thought about the future of drones. See the tweets here: twitter.com/MarthaStewart/status/486835778874798080 twitter.com/MarthaStewart/status/486810176025276417
All photos were taken by a member of Martha’s security detail. With this kind of fun at work, he has no reason to say he ain’t gonna work on Martha’s farm no more [Bob Dylan reference with a slight twist, for the >90% of you who missed it].
She also wrote about the experience in her blog: http://www.themarthablog.com/2014/07/aerial-photos-of-my-farm.html Check out the 31 images in all their aerial glory, with certainly no shortage of donkey paddocks, peony gardens, and clematis pergolas. Ohhhhh Martha.
A drone flew over the football stadium at the University of Texas during the team’s home opener (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Well in another attempt to prove their idiocracy, a drone owner flew his personal drone over UT Daryl K Royal Stadium.
People like this are going to ruin drones for the rest of us. Cities will clamp down regulations harder than the FAA. Le Sigh.
Let’s work hard to stay educated and pass on the knowledge in order to prevent future mishaps from grounding drones for good!
The idea of The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Jack Skellington coming to life could go from dream to reality thanks to Walt Disney’s plans to implement drones to support and manipulate giant marionette puppets. Disney has drones in mind for other aerial displays as well.
Walt Disney has filed three patents for applications involving drones. The patents are as follows.
The below patent illustration (Aerial display system with marionettes articulated and supported by airborne devices,
US 20140231590 A1, Fig 6) shows several drones will be attached by wires.
Now we just want to see them reenact Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters!