CBS Saturday morning TV show, Innovation Nation – which spotlights change-making technologies – recently called on the expertise of Verge Aero to discover how aerial technology is transforming live entertainment events and celebrations.
Produced by The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Litton Entertainment, Innovation Nation presents inspiring stories of history’s technological turning points, as well as looking at the innovations that are changing the world around us. With drone light shows offering spectacular additions – or even alternatives – to traditional fireworks displays, the technology was ripe for further investigation by the educational program.
As a pioneer in the field, Verge Aero’s drone fleets have been seen performing aerial celebrations at high-profile events including Joe Biden’s victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware, back in November. Presenter Alie Ward visited the company’s headquarters at Pennovation Works, part of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Alie met with Verge Aero founder Nils Thorjussen to see how the team “choreographed their engineering, artistic, computing and aviation skills to create a dance of lights in the sky”. They discussed the process of design and preparation, and the powerful proprietary software that makes it all possible. As she found out, it’s not just about complex choreography.
“In order to get to the point where you can actually do this, there is an incredible amount of engineering work that goes into creating the software that allows you to do it – reliably, and also safely,” explained Nils.
Of course, the report could not close without a live, first-hand demonstration of the drones in action. Nils and Alie watched as a fleet of 62 Verge Aero drones created a range of meticulously pre-programmed imagery in the night sky – including the symbol of innovation itself, the lightbulb.
“We had a great time talking to Alie and the team from Innovation Nation, and showing them what our technology can do,” said Nils. “It’s always exciting to have an opportunity to help educate people about professional-level drone shows and the unique dimension they can bring to live events.”