2DLS Drone Light Show

Authors: Abinaya Rajesh, Joe Mattekatt, Madhav Datt

Drone Light Show

Roadmap Overview

Drone light shows are a specific application of drone swarms operating via decentralized control systems to produce light patterns in the sky. These types of shows are becoming increasingly popular as a substitute to traditional fireworks as drone technology advances. The drones in these swarms typically follow a choreographed routine and communicate with a ground station and other drones in the swarm to remain synchronized and avoid midair collisions. Companies in this industry typically focus on producing drones for this application or creating the shows using purchased drones. The focus of this research will be the technological advancements that have enabled the development of drone swarms for light shows and a prediction of where this technology will go next.

[pic of dls]

DSM Allocation

[pic of table]

1SR Swarm Robotics

2D Drones

3BF Body Frame

4CF Carbon Fiber

3PS Propulsion System

4P Propellers

4BM Brushless Motors

3FCS Flight Control System

4IMS Inertial Measurement Sensors

4GPS GPS

4IC Integrated Circuits

3RO Remote Operation

4RTR Radio Transmitter & Receiver

3ES Electric System

4LED LEDs

4LIO Lithium Ion Batteries

OPM Model

[pic of OPM]

Figures of Merit (FOM)

FOM	Units	Significance
Swarm Size	[number of drones]	The number of drones in the swarm dictate the size and complexity of the light display that can be created. Larger swarms also require more sophisticated control software.
Flight Time	[min]	The battery life of a drone determines how long an aerial show can last.
Cost	[US Dollars]	Cost over overall system including per unit drone cost.
Latency	[ms]	How quickly a drone can respond to commands from a control center or react to signals from other drones. Lower latency systems will be safer.