A Platform for Dance Performances with Multiple Quadrocopters

This paper presents a platform for rhythmic flight with multiple quadrocopters. We envision an expressive multimedia dance performance that is automatically composed and controlled, given a random piece of music. Results in this paper prove the feasibility of audio-motion synchronization when precisely timing the side-to-side motion of a quadrocopter to the beat of the music. An illustration of the indoor flight space and the vehicles shows the characteristics and capabilities of the experimental setup. Prospective features of the platform are outlined and key challenges are emphasized. The paper concludes with a proof-of-concept demonstration showing three vehicles synchronizing their side-to-side motion to the music beat. Moreover, a dance performance to a remix of the sound track ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ gives a first impression of the novel musical experience. Future steps include an appropriate multiscale music analysis and the development of algorithms for the automated generation of choreography based on a database of motion primitives.

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