Ars Electronica: 100 drones

One hundred drones took off for a spectacular light and sound choreography over the Danube during the Ars Electronica festival in Linz, in collaboration with Intel.

Ars Electronica and Intel, Spaxels over Linz, Austria, 2016

Spaxels over Linz is the title of a quadcopter swarm performance that took place at Ars Electronica, the Austrian festival that takes place every year in Linz since 1979. One hundred LED-studded Spaxels put on an impressive display of aerial artistry above the Danube. Following their world-record-setting flight in Tornesch near Hamburg in late 2015, the 100-drone swarm has performed before a live audience only once.

100 quadcopters each equipped with an LED module lifted off for an approximately seven-minute flight. In order to avoid collisions, the launch wasn’t simultaneous: instead, smaller groups took off sequentially in waves. Initially, they ascended almost vertically to an altitude of 30 meters, flying over the trees lining the Danube and head out over water, where they got into position to execute their choreographed routine.

The first part of the show was a production custom-tailored to Linz featuring several three-dimensional motifs—for instance, a majestic bird flying above the Danube, flapping its huge wings up and down. This number was synchronized to music created by Linz sound artist and composer Sam Auinger. The second part reprised the finale of the DRONE 100 world record flight for Intel in November 2015.