Ideas and discoveries
Founders of the startup Flyindiamonds: interest in drone light shows is growing, soon they will be common event at corporate parties or weddings
Eighty light drones hover in the sky and smoothly draw various shapes – geometric shapes, logos or hashtags. Behind the perfectly synchronized visual orchestra are the founders of the Brno-based startup FlyinDiamonds – Jiří Janoušek, Josef Jelínek and Tomáš Jelínek. They also performed a show with their self-built drones at the Rock for People festival in June.
The technology of drone light shows is approximately 3 years old, but in that time its popularity has skyrocketed. Cities, festivals and institutions according to the startup founders FlyinDiamonds are looking for new ways to provide greener and more sustainable lighting events.
“It's a new way to draw on the sky. Unlike traditional fireworks, drones don't pollute nature, don't cause noise and don't pose a danger to animals. In addition, it is possible to repeat the purchased show several times – perhaps with a slight modification,” explains Jiří Janoušek, a doctoral student from the FEEC (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication) BUT (Brno University of Technology), who deals with processing of images from drones and their use in agriculture or in vineyards.
He founded the startup in 2020 together with Josef Jelínek, a graduate of FME (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering) BUT. The functionality of individual drones and their software control was first tested on a swarm of 12. They now fly with a swarm of 80. “We tried different speeds or minimum distances. Sometimes two drones hit each other, but fortunately we didn't destroy any,” adds Jelínek, who specializes in separating composite, polyurethane and rubber products.
The startup is based in the South Moravian Innovation Centre and is part of the European Space Agency's business incubator ESA BIC. FlyinDiamonds are unique in Europe, as they produce their own hardware and software.
“Most companies buy drones from China and are thus unable to customize them. We design and manufacture drones from the ground up – we laminate and machine the frames, print the mounts and drones, create the frames, laminate them and assemble the drones completely together. We will add software that serves not only for route planning, but also for autonomous control during the flight,” Jelínek explains, noting that such a combination is unique in Europe. It can steer the flight paths of a flock of drones with exceptional precision – even a deflection of a few tens of centimetres can be seen in the sky.
The drone light show from FlyinDiamonds could be seen at the Rock for People festival in June, where it launched Machine Gun Kelly's concert. The next opportunity will be at the September festival Světlo Valmez in Valašské Meziříčí or at the next edition of the event Music from FEEC.
However, not only festival operators are interested in FlyinDiamonds products, but also private companies offering fireworks, laser shows or video mapping – they would like to expand their portfolio with drone light shows. “There is a lot of interest, the price has gone down substantially in the last two years and we expect it to fall further. We expect to see shows with more and more drones, which will offer new possibilities for animation. On the other hand, however, smaller drone shows will become more widespread as every corporate party or wedding will want to have it,” Jelínek points out.
Currently, every drone swarm take-off must be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. “There are very strict rules for this, you have to keep a specific distance and height. No uninvolved persons are allowed under the drones. We have very detailed documentation on how to behave in case of emergency situations during the flight,” adds Janoušek.
We are currently expanding our drone swarm to host even larger events. But FlyinDiamonds don't want to stay with running a light show. “The current legislation allows us to fly and for the start-up to exist, but it is more of a starting position for us. We want to develop our know-how in autonomous and swarm flying. It is possible that we will continue to focus on campus monitoring, finding people or new applications in agriculture. European legislation doesn't allow this yet, but it is gradually being prepared,” concludes Janoušek.
(mar)
