Watch: Swarm Of Intel Drones Lit Up The Night Sky And Set World Record, Better Than Fireworks

What’s better than a night-time light show like showers of sparks? A night-time light show that can be controlled to take on any shape and size. That’s exactly what happened recently when Intel unleashed 500 drones into the sky over Germany during dusk. The result was a breathtaking spectacle that set a new world record and possibly setting a new standard for celebratory light works.​

Intel had previously set the record for the most drones in flight in a synchronous pattern to produce amazing light displays against the backdrop of a night sky, The Huffington Post reports. At the time, the company had only released 100 drones and it was already an astonishing show of impressive technical programming and artistic arrangement.

This time, Intel didn’t just double-down on its stake in the drone market. It increased its efforts five times by having 500 drones create the most spectacular light show so far. The initiative is part of the company’s fake fireworks program where, instead of using fireworks, both private and public entities can make use of synchronously flying drones.

Seeing the drones flying, make shapes, spells words, and basically move like a swarm of bees in beautiful motion is astounding to behold. If one didn’t know any better, they could be forgiven for thinking that all they were seeing is a boring old laser show. According to the drone project’s engineering head Daniel Gurdan, the graceful dance and orchestrated movements are made possible through complex algorithm.

“Sophisticated algorithms optimize distances during launch and landing to avoid collisions, and the vehicles remain protected because of the propeller cages,” Gurdan said.

The drones themselves, called “Shooting Star,” are miniature UAVs specifically designed exactly for these kinds of displays, Live Science reports. Each drone weighs only 0.5 lbs. and is made of foams and plastic. The drones are also capable of producing 4 billion combinations of colors, which makes them perfect for imitating or even surpassing fireworks.