The Future
Inevitably, computers now play a hugely important role in both the development of fireworks and the designing of their displays.
Computer programmes can be used to synchronise the firing of thousands of fireworks from just one control panel known as a "firing panel".
How Does This Work?
The firework is fitted with a metal match head which resembles that of a real match. When the button from the firing panel is pushed, a surge of electrical charge or current is created and travels down a thin wire until it hits the match head and ignition takes place (just as a regular match would ignite when struck). The spark from this ignition lights a fuse to the firework causing it to elevate into the air.
It is this method of technology that is increasingly used by pyrotechnicians today and it is most certainly used in large scale displays such as those presented over the millennium.
It is explicit that the future of fireworks lies in the fusion of modern day computational techniques and inventions from ancient China over 2,000 years ago.
