The Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 Opening Ceremony featured 1,218 of Intel's Shooting Star UAS, in what was the Winter Olympics’ first-ever drone light show.

The flight, which was prerecorded for the event, set a Guinness World Records title for the “most unmanned aerial vehicles airborne simultaneously,” breaking Intel’s previous record of 500 UAS flown simultaneously in Germany in 2016.

“The Olympics are a time when the sports and entertainment industries are buzzing with record-setting performances, so it was the perfect stage for Intel Shooting Star drones and our team to set their own kind of record,” says Natalie Cheung, general manager of Intel’s drone light show team.

Specifically designed for entertainment purposes, Intel’s Shooting Star UAS are equipped with LED lights that can create a wide variety of color combinations, and can easily be programmed for any animation. The fleet of UAS is controlled using just one pilot.

For the record-breaking light show in PyeongChang, South Korea, Intel designed and developed custom animations for the opening ceremony and nightly victory ceremony performances, which include animations of different sports and several Olympic-related logos, including the formation of the Olympic rings.

“It’s been exciting for us to partner with Intel on the Winter Olympics, as they continue to push the limits with their advanced drone light show technologies,” says Sam Prosser, commercial director EMEA APAC Guinness World Records.

“From flying 100 drones simultaneously in 2015, to 500 drones in 2016, and now more than 1,000 drones – the sky is the limit with entertaining through Intel drone light shows.”

Intel is a member of the “The Olympic Partner” (TOP) worldwide sponsorship program. Through this program, Intel is helping to “transform the fan experience by creating immersive opportunities for viewers to be a part of the Olympic Games.”