I watched a drone swarm on TV and was fascinated about how they worked. Could you just buy them off the shelf and program them yourself?
Turned out that the answer was no.
Drone swarms work like a hive mind using complex code. Each drone has a copy of the code along with its own set of instructions. They can be lighter and smaller than other drones as they don’t need all the recording and camera gear. Instead they use GPS and sensors to move and position themselves. Then depending on their function they move and activate LED lights or smoke canisters.
There is no master drone as the whole swarm could fail if something happens to the master. Instead they act independently. They are aware of each other via communications and sensors and should a drone fail another can take its place.
Custom software such as DroneShow is used to program and test the swarm. GPS coordinates are used to define a safety boundary outside which the drones cannot go, known as a geo-fence. This prevents the drones from harming the audience or drifting over private land causing security and safety issues.
A fall-back system may also be available whereby the swarm could be controlled from a base station should there be a problem such as a loss of GPS signal or to land the drones due to a failure.