Over a thousand drones took to the night sky in Shanghai, China last weekend for an elaborate light show. While drone shows have become an increasingly common practice in the region, this performance, in particular, came with an unusual ending - a massive, scannable QR code.
The use of QR codes is ubiquitous around China, utilized for everything from adding friends on social media, buying groceries, and even for donating to panhandlers. Hundreds of millions of people in China use the QR code in their everyday lives, often for payment using apps made by tech giants including Alibaba and Tencent.
The illuminated QR code, comprised of roughly 1,500 drones, was put on by Chinese video streaming company Bilibili. The code was placed in celebration of the first anniversary of the Japanese RPG Princess Connect! Re:Dive. A photo of the code went viral on Twitter the day after the event, prompting a range of reactions from amazement to disgust. Some of the more critical responses compared it to the ad-filled world of Blade Runner, where massive holographic advertisements compete for people’s attention and constantly nudge them to buy and consume more. Other people saw the advertisement in a more positive light, even describing the technological achievement as something "beautiful."
While this level of marketing has yet to catch on in the same degree in western countries as it is in China, drone-based video game marketing has been done before in the US. A couple of years ago, a fire-breathing Spyro drone was used to deliver copies of the acclaimed Spyro: Reignited Trilogy around the country. Given how drones are implemented more and more as time goes on, it should be extremely interesting to see what ways unmanned aerial vehicles will be used for in the future.
Source: VICE