Autonomous drone racing developing technology of the future

Whirring drones will swarm around many homes this holiday season, leading to millions of miniature aviation accidents and frazzled nerves.

Imagine, though, if you could turn on the drone, and by itself, it could rise off the floor, map the area, and fly itself on any assigned mission? That’s the goal of the teams that competed for $1 million this month in the inaugural Artificial Intelligence Robotic Racing Circuit, called AlphaPilot for short.

Piloted drone racing is one of the most exciting of the emerging esports, with pilots wearing goggles that put them virtually onboard the aircraft as they fly through spectacular mazes at 70 mph. […]

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