In a first, AI beats human champions in drone racing competition in Abu Dhabi
In a huge moment for technology and racing, an AI-powered drone from the Netherlands has beaten some of the world's best human pilots in a real-life racing contest. The race, held in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, was part of the A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship — a major event focused on pushing the limits of autonomous flight. The AI drone, built by a team from MavLab at TU Delft University, won a direct race against a top human pilot in what organisers say was the most challenging head-to-head drone race ever held.advertisementThe event was hosted at ADNEC Marina Hall in Abu Dhabi and brought together 14 teams from across the world, including countries like South Korea, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, China, and the UAE. Each team had to rely entirely on artificial intelligence to control their drones — no remotes, no joysticks, and no human pilots. The drones raced at speeds of over 150 km/h through a tricky, winding indoor track filled with wide gates, uneven lighting, and very few visual markers.Team MavLab's AI drone wasn't just fast — it was smart. It completed two laps of a 170-metre course in only 17 seconds. This was enough to win not just the AI Grand Challenge but also a one-on-one race against a professional human drone racer, who had qualified through the DCL Falcon Cup. The AI drone's win over the human pilot was the most talked-about moment of the competition.advertisement
All the drones were equipped with the same hardware: a forward-facing camera, a motion sensor, and a Jetson Orin NX computing unit made by NVIDIA. With just this onboard tech, each drone had to make split-second decisions in real time. There was no help from the outside — everything from identifying the course to adjusting speed and direction had to be done by the drone itself.Organisers say this was one of the hardest drone races ever attempted. Even the lighting inside the hall and the type of camera used (a rolling shutter camera) made it difficult for the AI systems to perform smoothly. Still, the top teams handled the challenge impressively, showing just how far autonomous technology has come.The event also included other race formats like drag races and multi-drone matches, with teams like TII Racing and MavLab winning big. A STEM programme run alongside the event trained over 100 Emirati students in drone operations, showing the wider impact of this growing field.With this drone race now complete, all eyes are on the next big thing — A2RL's self-driving car racing series, set to return in late 2025 at Yas Marina Circuit.
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