Spaxels, LED-equipped quadcopters, Ars Electronica Linz GmbH, Linz, Austria

[Airicist]

Drone display sets world record for most UAVs airborne simultaneously

Published on Jan 8, 2016

A spectacular display of drone technology by Intel Corporation (USA) involving 100 small aircrafts being launched skywards in formation has earned a new world record title for the Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously.

Controlled on the ground by a crew using PCs with Intel software, the mass of drones lit up the night sky in sync to a live performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and executed a stunning light show resembling a fireworks display.

“Drone 100” took place at Flugplatz Ahrenlohe, Tornesch, Germany, in November 2015. The record was set in collaboration with Ars Electronica Futurelab to push the limits of the UAV industry and to show what UAVs can be used for.

"Intel stuns during CES keynote with record for most drones airborne simultaneously - watch incredible footage"

by Rachel Swatman
January 6, 2016

[Airicist]

Spaxels taxi

Published on Jun 8, 2016

Via gesture steering, a quadcopter can be summoned, its flight altitude modified, or it can be sent off to park.

Since 2013, the Ars Electronica Futurelab and Mercedes-Benz have been facing one of the most challenging issues raised by autonomous mobility: How can we humans communicate with self-driving cars in ways that make us feel comfortable and safe?

To approach this question, the Ars Electronica Futurelab set up two interactive proving grounds in which the so-called shared space, the zone that will be used by both human pedestrians and robotic motorists in the future, can be experienced by test subjects. The first of these haptic simulation setups, the Shared Space Spaxels, made its public debut in summer 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Future Talk Robotics

[Airicist]

Spaxels collision

Published on Jun 8, 2016

Crossing the flight path: When the quadcopter proactively activates illuminated signals, humans interacting with it usually feel more secure.

Since 2013, the Ars Electronica Futurelab and Mercedes-Benz have been facing one of the most challenging issues raised by autonomous mobility: How can we humans communicate with self-driving cars in ways that make us feel comfortable and safe?

To approach this question, the Ars Electronica Futurelab set up two interactive proving grounds in which the so-called shared space, the zone that will be used by both human pedestrians and robotic motorists in the future, can be experienced by test subjects. The first of these haptic simulation setups, the Shared Space Spaxels, made its public debut in summer 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Future Talk Robotics