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By: Eli Hill,<\/p>\n
During the\u00a0 opening ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics, people watching around the world gave witness to a world record being broken.\u00a0 In the largest display of its kind, over 1,218 drones took to the night skies of Pyeongchang for a large-scale synchronized performance.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 The mechanized fleet put on a colorful, LED dotted and darting spectacle, eventually forming the shape of a swaying snowboarder and transitioning into the iconic image of the interlocking Olympic Rings.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n Orchestrated by Intel, these drones were part of the company\u2019s \u201cShooting Star\u201d platform, a project that had been building to this Pyeongchang moment for many years.[3]<\/a> After launching an initial synchronized swarm of 100 drones with four controlling pilots from a test site in 2015, Shooting Star capabilities grew to handle over 500 drones with just one controlling pilot only a year later in 2016.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Most notably, Intel brought its Shooting Star show into the public\u2019s direct line of sight during Lady Gaga\u2019s 2017 Super Bowl halftime show when a 300 drone fleet converged to form the image of a fluttering American Flag above the NRG stadium.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n While \u2018drone shows\u2019 represent a relatively new sort of spectacle, the Olympics have been slowly incorporating drones within their broadcast productions for many years.[6]<\/a> \u00a0During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the Olympic Broadcasting Services (\u201cOBS\u201d) used drone cameras to film freestyle skiing and snowboarding, events which in of themselves also embodied the idea of a fresh spectacle. [7]<\/a> Able to capture thrilling moments from dynamic viewpoints, the OBS went on to use 50 high speed drone cameras at events, for athlete introductions, and during the presentation of awards at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n As global broadcasting platforms continue to experiment with drone capabilities in the realm of entertainment, traditional caution and safety concerns over commercial drone use remain.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Recent risk assessments claim that the majority of drone-related accidents stem from faulty tech rather than human operating error.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 Given that drone show choreography puts greater reliance on the automated programming, those overseeing mass events remain appropriately cautious.\u00a0 Broadcasts of both Shooting Star displays at the Super Bowl and at Pyeounchang were prerecorded, as concerns over weather conditions, fleet visibility, and the assured safety of a live audience forced Intel to adopt a more conservative roll out.[11]<\/a> Currently, Intel has no plans to sell models of its Shooting Star drones, but given the popularity of their displays, it\u2019s merely a matter of time until the general public has access to tech capable of creating individualized spectacles.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n While many countries have taken steps to regulate civilian drone use within the airspace of their own borders, international standards and policies still lack definitive traction.[13]<\/a>\u00a0 The United Nations continues to advocate strongly for the registration of all commercial drones within a national database.[14]<\/a> In the last year, member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (\u201cICAO\u201d) included drone management guidelines as an action item at their annual symposium.[15]<\/a>\u00a0 Despite the championing recognitions, the popularity fueling the drone culture is clearly outpacing any policy being designed to regulate it.<\/p>\n By 2024, the global market growth of drones is projected to reach upwards of $13 billion.[16]<\/a>\u00a0 The current lag in standardized regulations allow drone manufactures to occupy a unique position of influence, especially at high profile, multinational sporting events.\u00a0 Da-Jiang Innovations (\u201cDJI\u201d), the drone manufacturer responsible for over half of all small civilian drone sales, has capitalized on the absence of explicit international regulations by supplying the protections against its very own products.[17]<\/a> Responding to concerns from South Korean authorities over civilian piloted drones, DJI developed a software patch that temporary prevents all drones of DIJ design from operating within protected Olympic event areas.\u00a0 Providing such a service is not unusual for DIJ, as they have instituted these self-regulations at U.S. political party conventions, the G7 Summit in Japan, and the 2016 Euro football tournament in France.[18]<\/a><\/p>\n In addition to their record-breaking display at the Opening Ceremonies, Intel plans to deploy its light-show legions nightly in Pyueongchang. [19]<\/a> Squadrons of 300 drones will animate the airspace above Olympic medal presentations for the duration of the Winter Games.[20]<\/a>\u00a0 As these displays continue to showcase the wonders of drones, not just their weaponing, their commercial popularity will remain on the rise.\u00a0 The continued spectacle will push international policy and put\u00a0pressure on international policy to keep pace.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> See <\/em>Brian Barrett, Inside the Olympics Opening Ceremony World-Record Drone Show<\/em>, Wired, (8:00pm on Feb. 9, 2018), https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/olympics-opening-ceremony-drone-show\/.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [3]<\/a>See<\/em> Jacob Brogan, How Intel Lit Up the Super Bowl with Drones and Why<\/em>, Slate, (10:25am on Feb. 6, 2017),\u00a0 http:\/\/www.slate.com\/blogs\/future_tense\/2017\/02\/06\/how_the_intel_drones_at_the_lady_gaga_super_bowl_halftime_show_worked.html.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [5]<\/a> See<\/em> Nathan Bohlander, Here Come the Drones- And the Legal Headaches<\/em>, Law360 (Feb. 23, 2017)(describing drone show in connection to Super Bowl halftime).<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> See generally<\/em>, Waibel, M., Keays, B., Augugliaro, F.. Drones shows: Creative potential and best practices<\/em>, Verity Studios (Jan. 2017), https:\/\/veritystudios.com\/whitepaper\/#appendix.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> See<\/em> Zehra Betul Ayranci, Use of Drones in Sports Broadcasting<\/em>, 33 Ent. & Sports Law. 79 (2017).<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> See id.<\/em> at 80.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> See <\/em>Waibel, supra<\/em> note 6.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [11]<\/a> See <\/em>Barrett, supra<\/em> note 1.<\/p>\n [12]<\/a> See <\/em>Dieter Bohn, Intel\u2019s new Shooting Star Mini drones can make indoor light shows, The Verge (11:15pm on Jan. 8, 2018), https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2018\/1\/8\/16866880\/intels-shooting-star-mini-drones-indoor-light-shows-ces-2018.<\/p>\n [13]<\/a> \u00a0See Ayranci, at 90.<\/p>\n [14]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n [15]<\/a> See<\/em> Philbin, Anthony, ICAO to Seek Global Traffic Management Solutions for Drone Operations<\/em>, ICAO.int (May 15, 2017, Montreal), https:\/\/www.icao.int\/Newsroom\/Pages\/ICAO-to-seek-global-traffic-management-solutions-for-drone-operations.aspx.<\/p>\n [16]<\/a>\u00a0 Ayrunci, at 90.<\/p>\n [17]<\/a> See <\/em>Malek Murison, DJI Puts No-Fly Zones in Place for South Korea Winter Olympics, <\/em>DroneLife Blog (Feb. 7, 2018), <\/em>https:\/\/dronelife.com\/2018\/02\/07\/dji-no-fly-zones-south-korea-winter-olympics\/.<\/p>\n [18]<\/a> See id.<\/em><\/p>\n