A 500-year-old Lunar New Year ritual in Nuanquan, China (a short span, considering the nation has celebrated the holiday for 3,800 years), Da Shuhua involves Chinese blacksmiths tossing molten iron at an icy door to create a riveting shower of sparks. The name translates to “beating down the tree flowers,” which refers to an agricultural practice that stimulates growth in fruit-bearing plants. It was developed as a …
1. University of Tokyo’s Dragon Drone Transforms While Midair Calling the University of Tokyo’s new drone the Dragon doesn’t just reference its form, the name is also an acronym short for “Dual-rotor embedded multilink Robot with the Ability of multi-deGree-of-freedom aerial transformatiON.” Composed of several small drones, powered by a pair of ducted fans that can thrust in almost any direction, the high-flyer can autonomously …
This Independence Day, fifth-generation family-owned Pyro Spectaculars will put on over 400 firework events in one evening, according to Fast Company. Chief Show Designer Jim Souza does it all—from permits to ignition. And he explains that designing a fireworks show is much like creating the narrative for a film—it’s all about an emotional arc. In fact, Souza and Pyro Spectaculars actually storyboard their shows out. …
