Intel Basks in Afterglow of Super Bowl Light Show Launched by Its Drones

By Ted Greenwald 

Intel Corp. scored a public-relations coup during Sunday's Super Bowl halftime extravaganza, showing off a product that wasn't actually there and isn't available for sale.

As singer Lady Gaga crooned a medley of patriotic songs, television viewers saw the Houston skyline behind her light up with twinkling stars that turned red and blue before taking the form of the Stars and Stripes spread across the sky.

The roving stars were a fleet of 300 Intel Shooting Star drones, remote-controlled fliers equipped with LED displays. Each lightweight, four-rotor copter can display any one of four billion colors at a time, including those of Old Glory as well the logo of Intel and sponsor PepsiCo Inc., which were shown in the sky as the halftime show ended.

But the drones didn't actually fly in the show on Sunday night.

The U.S. flag and Pepsi displays, along with the scene of Ms. Gaga singing atop the roof of NRG Stadium, were filmed early last week and projected on the stadium's screens, according to Anil Nanduri, vice president of Intel's New Technology group and general manager of the drone division.

The on-screen imagery switched to a live feed the moment after the singer was seen jumping off the roof, Mr. Nanduri said, and then she was shown live being lowered to the stage on the field below.

Many TV viewers thought they were watching a live light show, a perception Intel didn't go out of its way to dispel. "Our drones have returned to the ground after an amazing #PepsiHalftime show," the company tweeted shortly afterward.

But prerecording was the only option. The halftime production team needed a solution that would achieve the desired effects even if the stadium roof in Houston were closed for foul weather.

In addition, federal regulations forbid drone flights above people who aren't participating in the flight, as well as in the restricted airspace around the stadium. So, Intel received federal waivers to shoot the drone choreography 700 feet above the stadium ahead of the game.

The flying light show was designed during meetings that began in early December and remote-controlled by a single pilot as the cameras rolled. Intel executives were pleased with the outcome. "It's the first time ever we had a Super Bowl where drones were used, and it couldn't have been better," said Mr. Nanduri.

Fans shouldn't count on being able to replicate the display themselves. The Shooting Star, one of a handful of flying machines Intel has devised so far, isn't available for sale.

The company is still gaining experience operating the system and will decide whether to commercialize it in the future, Mr. Nanduri said.

The drone division in late January began selling a general-purpose drone development kit for engineers developing fliers and associated software.

Intel does see commercial applications for its technology enabling drone fleets to fly in formation. Although the Shooting Star system is intended for entertainment -- it has been used at Walt Disney World in Florida -- Intel envisions uses including inspections of industrial facilities and search-and-rescue missions, Mr. Nanduri said.

Write to Ted Greenwald at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 06, 2017 18:33 ET (23:33 GMT)

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