Up in the air: Floating visuals developed

Cambridge, Massachusetts – Researchers have come up with a way to depict images in the air.

Flyfire has been developed by SENSEable City Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This swarm of remotely controlled, self-organising micro helicopters can form pictures: the promotional video shows how the Mona Lisa can be recreated as well as 3D images.

‘It’s like when Winnie the Pooh hits a beehive: a swarm of bees comes out and chases him while changing its configuration to resemble a beast,’ says E Roon Kang, a research fellow at the SENSEable City Laboratory. ‘In Flyfire, each bee is essentially a pixel that emits coloured light and reconfigures itself into different forms.’

Each helicopter contains small LEDs and acts as a smart pixel. Through digitally controlled movements, the helicopters perform elaborate and synchronised choreographies, generating unique free-form display in 3D space.

This is taking interactive design to a new level. LS:N Global recently reported on an art installation where a dog follows every move. Imagine if we will see them flying in the future.