At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the CEO of tech company Intel said that drones are the fireworks of the future. Brian Krzanich illustrated his point with a sensational drone light show set to music, which also managed to set a Guinness World Record for the most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) airborne at the same time.

A total of 100 drones took to the skies at an airport in Flugplatz Ahrenlohe, Tornesch, Germany in November 2015, with the footage being revealed for the very first time at January’s CES event. A team of four technicians and their computers – which, of course used Intel computer chips – manned the display from the ground. The drones, capable of a range of colour displays, lit up the sky in a 1970s style light show (but without the lasers) – synchronising perfectly with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The display finished by displaying the word ‘Intel’ in the night sky to impressive effect.

Drones vs. fireworks – it’s all about the excitement factor

While this headline-grabbing stunt was certainly spectacular and went down a storm at the CES event, the question on everyone’s lips following the event is – are drone light shows really as good as fireworks? Will they ultimately make fireworks obsolete? Intel’s Brian Krzanich highlighted a couple of common complaints about fireworks in his CES keynote speech, saying:

“I see a future where fireworks and all their risks of smoke and dirt are a thing of the past, and they’re replaced by shows that have unlimited creativity and potential – and powered by drones.”

He also mentioned the noise of fireworks – the drones are completely silent as they operate. However, the noises, smoke and ‘live’ firing of fireworks are amongst the very things that make pyrotechnics so very exciting. The smoke, noise and explosive qualities of fireworks suggest a sense of danger, even though spectators are well aware that there is none when the display is managed by a professional. This is where the thrill comes from, and why so many people flock to fireworks displays year after year (and why Bonfire Night continues to be so popular, especially in the UK).

While drone displays are undoubtedly technologically impressive, and will definitely appeal to techies and gadget fans, they could be criticised for being a little too sterile in the execution of the display. The light show they produce is visually appealing, and it is very easy to programme the drones to perfectly synchronise with virtually any piece of music, but how exciting is such a display, particularly for children?

So, who wins – fireworks or drones?

Ultimately, fireworks fans will be divided on whether Intel is right in predicting drones to be the fireworks of the future. They are actually very different things, one being a light show and one a pyrotechnics display, so it is hard to compare them – perhaps there is room for both when it comes to wedding, birthday and celebration entertainment of the future.