SkyWrite Prototype
Drone-based aerial skywriting. An ESP32-S3-driven payload that heats glycerin-based fluid through an Inconel 600 helical bore at 800 °C and writes custom text, logos, and QR codes in the sky above a venue.
What it is
SkyWrite is a drone-mounted smoke-writing payload. A pair of drones fly the show: a primary drone carries the heated-fluid payload and emits shaped smoke along a programmed path; a companion camera drone captures the display for immediate social-media delivery.
The payload replaces conventional skywriting (fixed-wing aircraft, cursive text only, ~$3,000 per flight) with a drone-scale platform that produces full graphics, logos, and QR codes.
Target market
- Live events — stadium activations, festivals, concerts, brand pop-ups.
- Personal moments — proposals, gender reveals, anniversaries.
- Outdoor advertising — campaign launches, scannable sky-borne QR codes, tour marketing.
Show booking and consumer-facing pricing run through the operational site at smokemsg.com.
Current status
- Prototype build in progress; 18-part mechanical hardware program shared with Drone Satellite.
- Firmware at 35 of 36 HIL-Lite test cards passing on the ESP32-S3 payload controller.
- 9 SkyWrite stamped drawings released (enclosure, hot liner, service door, boom brackets, propwash deflector, nozzle shroud, heater core).
- Mechanical parts actively quoting at PCBWay and Xometry across CNC 6061-T6, sheet-metal 304 SS, and precision-machined Inconel 600.
- First commercial bookings open at
smokemsg.com; revenue is pre-flight-article.
Key technical specs (in plain language)
In plain English: a small industrial heater turns smoke fluid into a visible trail, the drone flies a path to draw the message, and two independent safety systems (firmware-level and mechanical) prevent runaway pressure or temperature. A one-shot thermal fuse downstream of the main fuse cuts power if anything gets past both.
Visibility and duration
Under calm conditions the emitted trail persists for minutes and is visible from well beyond the venue. We are deliberately not publishing a single headline "X meters / Y minutes" number because the honest answer depends on wind, humidity, altitude, and capture angle. Our camera-capture simulation (see Engineering) characterises performance across 0–10 m/s wind; the rolling-capture mode at 10 m/s still meets our frame-fill and visibility thresholds.
Safety architecture
Three independent layers:
- Firmware. Pressure trip at 160 kPa; software overtemp on the temperature-sensor GPIO; watchdog reset on sensor loss.
- Mechanical. Pressure relief at 180 kPa; 240 °C one-shot thermal fuse in line with the heater.
- Topology. 150 mm standoff from enclosure wall to nozzle outlet; fuse hierarchy sized so the heater branch (F1 25 A) blows before the aux branch (F2 7.5 A).
Companion apps
- SkyWrite Aerial — consumer-facing booking and show-design app. iOS + Android. Shipping.
- smokemsg.com — operational booking, package selection, show scheduling.
Related engineering
See the engineering page for the full hardware release package, or Drone Satellite for the sister platform. Direct conversation: contact.