In 2024 MindWorks brought its indoor drone circus to the stage of Das Supertalent, the German edition of the Got Talent format. The act paired a live performer with a swarm of choreographed LED drones. For the finals we added something new: an aerial harness finale, with the performer flying among the drones above the stage.
This is the same act we perform as Singularity, adapted for a television studio, a live audience and a broadcast camera plan.
The challenge
At the time, our drones held their position using time-of-flight (TOF) sensors that read the floor beneath them. The Das Supertalent stage floor was reflective, and a reflective floor is a non-starter for those sensors.
We asked the production for a carpet over the stage, and they rolled one out. The carpet was black. That's when we found out that black carpet doesn't work with our TOF sensors either, something the drone manufacturer had never mentioned.
So we had a couple of days, a TV schedule and a floor the drones couldn't read.
What we built
We worked with the show's technical team to find a fix that would hold up on camera. The answer was a grid of white tape laid over the black carpet. It gave the sensors something to read, and it worked well enough for TV. The act went through to the final round.
The finals brought a bigger challenge. Until then, the aerial version of the act had only been a concept. We had one tech run to take it from an idea to a live broadcast, with ten more drones than our standard act and a performer in a harness above the stage. We made it happen.
Dalton Sessumes, the founder of MindWorks, performed the act in the harness. Annika Burns was the assisting drone operator, and the production provided the rigging operators.
As with every MindWorks drone show, the work started with the space. We reviewed the stage, the ceiling height and the rigging points, then designed the flight area and the choreography to fit. The show was flown with pre-flight equipment checks, a designated safety perimeter, a crew briefing and a clear abort procedure. With a performer in the air and drones around him, performer safety came first in every decision.
The result
The judges had a fantastic reaction to the act, and it made it to the finals of Das Supertalent 2024. The aerial finale that started as a concept is now part of what we offer: the same drone circus can be staged fully on the ground or with the aerial finale, depending on the venue.
The Singularity act has since performed in residency at Babylon Dubai, at YPO Dubai and at Salto Natale Zurich.
What changed after the show
Das Supertalent taught us how much a show can depend on the floor. Since then we've upgraded to a new flight software system that doesn't rely on TOF sensors. Our drones can now fly over any type of flooring and over obstacles, and even over audiences when the proper permissions and safety precautions are in place.
What this means for your venue
You no longer need to worry about a shiny stage or dark carpet, or about set pieces in the flight path. That opens up more rooms and more staging ideas, including flights out over the crowd where the venue and local rules allow it. We still review every space before the show, and any flight over people is planned around the permissions and safety measures it requires.
The act can be booked for corporate events, product launches, galas and venue productions. If your space has the ceiling height and rigging points, we can also stage the aerial finale. Drone colors, choreography and music can be programmed to match your brand and your run of show.
We are based in Austin, Texas, and travel for shows across the US and internationally. See our indoor drone show service, learn more about the Singularity LED drone circus act, or see how we work with corporate events and DMCs.
Planning an event? Send us your floor plan and ceiling height and we'll recommend the right version for your space.
