Here's How Drones are Replacing Fireworks - Without The Pollution
Drones could become the new alternative to fireworks. Image: Reuters/USA TODAY USWP
- Drone fireworks are gaining popularity. Drone displays are becoming a replacement for fireworks, due to concerns about firework-related air pollution and environmental damage.
- Governments in China and India have already taken measures to prevent fireworks at the Lunar New Year and Diwali.
- British company Celestial, which puts on displays of up to 300 drones, says the technology is advancing quickly.
- Drones were incorporated into the Tokyo Olympics 2020 opening ceremony.
Concerns about pollution and the environment could see drone fireworks - such as the one featured in the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony - replace fireworks as the light show of choice in the night sky.
Governments in China and India have already tried to limit the number of fireworks set off during celebrations for the Lunar New Year and Diwali to minimise dangerous air pollution.
And even Sydney in Australia, famous for its New Year firework display, is considering replacing the pyrotechnics with drones to reduce the risk of bushfires, according to reports in Australian media last year.
One company hoping to capitalise on such a drone fireworks shift is British-based Celestial, which puts on displays flying up to 300 drones in formation and says the technology is developing fast.
In a practice session seen by Reuters at an airfield in Somerset, England, a drone swarm morphed into shapes such as a walking toy robot, a dancer and a butterfly flapping its wings.
What is the World Economic Forum doing about nature?
"Our goal ... is to supersede fireworks - We love fireworks but they blow things up, they're single-use, they make things catch on fire and they scare animals," Celestial co-founder John Hopkins told Reuters.
"What we're trying to do is create something, creatively, more interesting, green because we use renewable energy sources and we don't scare the animals." Drone fireworks will pick up sooner than you think!
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Stay up to date:
Drones
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on Nature and BiodiversitySee all
Aditi Mishra and Ar. Sachin Uniyal
October 31, 2024