Watch A Drone Replace A Light Bulb (And Smash A Few Others In The Process)

How many drones does it take to screw in a light bulb? Apparently two, and about nine smashed bulbs (hey, progress requires risks), according to the description of a fascinating video uploaded to YouTube Sunday.

The video shows a quadcopter attempting to replacing a ceiling’s light bulb, while putting a new spin on the worn-out joke, and highlighting how we could one day keep the lights on.

During the drone’s first attempt, the remote-controlled flyer struggles to connect with the bulb and crashes to the ground. (It wiped out pretty good, which we think could be when the second drone came into play.) After multiple tries the drone successfully grasps the bulb with its three prongs. Just a few spins later, it unscrews the bulb.

The drone then carries a replacement bulb up to the outlet before taking another spin to secure it in place. This last step proves to be the easiest and soon the bulb is glowing.

What other hard-to-reach light fixtures could drones one day maintain for us? The future is clearly bright.