Latest news with #A2RLxDCLAutonomousDroneChampionship
India Today
09-06-2025
- India Today
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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
Mid East Info
17-04-2025
- Mid East Info
Artificial Intelligence Triumphs in World's Most Sophisticated Autonomous Drone Race in Abu Dhabi - Middle East Business News and Information
AI Drone Beats Human Pilot in Most Sophisticated and Challenging Series set up by A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship, Marking a Breakthrough in Autonomous Flight Innovation Over 2500 Spectators Watch Best Autonomous Drone Racers Battle it Out for $1M Prize Pool Across Four Cutting-Edge Race Formats, Mavlab (TU Delft) Dominates the Championship with Three Wins in the AI Grand Challenge, AI Drag Race and AI Vs Human; TII Racing (Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi) Wins the AI Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), part of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), concluded the inaugural A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship in the Middle East, at ADNEC Marina Hall, Abu Dhabi, UAE. In a major breakthrough for autonomous flight and aerial robotics, Team MavLab's AI drone outpaced a world-leading human pilot to win the AI vs Human Challenge. The head-to-head duel was the most complex ever staged, featuring finalists from the DCL Falcon Cup—some of the top drone pilots in the world. Over two high-intensity days, 14 international teams qualified for the finals week, with the top four advancing to compete across multiple challenging race formats. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada and the USA represented a mix of university labs, research institutes, and startup innovators. Each team raced a standardized drone equipped with the compact yet powerful NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for onboard perception and control. With no human input, the drones relied entirely on real-time processing and AI-driven decision-making to reach speeds exceeding 150 km/h through a complex race environment. The course design pushed the boundaries of perception-based autonomy—featuring wide gate spacing, irregular lighting, and minimal visual markers. The use of rolling shutter cameras further heightened the difficulty, testing each team's ability to deliver fast, stable performance under demanding conditions. This marked the first time an autonomous drone race of this scale and complexity was staged on such a visually sparse track, underscoring the ambition and technical challenge of the event. Championship Highlights AI Grand Challenge Winner : MavLab (TU Delft) set the fastest time on the 170-meter course, completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds. : MavLab (TU Delft) set the fastest time on the 170-meter course, completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds. AI vs Human Showdown Winner : MavLab's autonomous drone outpaced top human pilot—in a landmark AI vs Human showdown. : MavLab's autonomous drone outpaced top human pilot—in a landmark AI vs Human showdown. Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Winner : TII Racing emerged victorious in the multi-drone format, in a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance. : TII Racing emerged victorious in the multi-drone format, in a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance. Autonomous Drag Race Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) claimed victory in the world's first AI-only drag race, demonstrating straight-line speed and control under high acceleration against the championship's top teams. 'At ATRC, we believe innovation must be proven in the real world, not just promised,' said H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, and Secretary-General of ATRC. 'A2RL is more than a race, it's a global testbed for high-performance autonomy and reflects the UAE's commitment to advancing AI, robotics, and next-gen mobility responsibly.' 'The future of flight doesn't live in a lab – it lives on the racetrack,' said Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, the hosting entity of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. 'What we saw this weekend brings us closer to scaling autonomous systems in everyday life.' Markus Stampfer, Executive Chairman of DCL, added: 'We brought elite racing conditions to autonomous flight—and the AI rose to the challenge. This was a major leap for both sport and technology.' Ecstatic after clinching three top titles, Christophe De Wagter, team principal of MavLab, shared 'Winning the AI Grand Challenge and the AI vs Human race is a huge milestone for our team. It validates years of research and experimentation in autonomous flight. To see our algorithms outperform in such a high-pressure environment and take home the largest share of the prize pool, is incredibly rewarding.' The A2RL X DCL Drone STEM Program, designed in collaboration with UNICEF and under the supervision of the ATRC, has trained over 100 Emirati students this year. Over 60% earned the prestigious Trusted Operator Program certification and 24 achieved perfect scores, showcasing the cutting-edge aviation skills being developed as part of the program. With the drone finale now in the books, all eyes turn to Season 2 of A2RL's autonomous car racing series, set for Q4 2025 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Zawya
16-04-2025
- Zawya
Artificial intelligence triumphs in world's most sophisticated autonomous drone race in Abu Dhabi
AI Drone Beats Human Pilot in Most Sophisticated and Challenging Series set up by A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship, Marking a Breakthrough in Autonomous Flight Innovation Over 2500 Spectators Watch Best Autonomous Drone Racers Battle it Out for $1M Prize Pool Across Four Cutting-Edge Race Formats, Mavlab (TU Delft) Dominates the Championship with Three Wins in the AI Grand Challenge, AI Drag Race and AI Vs Human; TII Racing (Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi) Wins the AI Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), part of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), concluded the inaugural A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship in the Middle East, at ADNEC Marina Hall, Abu Dhabi, UAE. In a major breakthrough for autonomous flight and aerial robotics, Team MavLab's AI drone outpaced a world-leading human pilot to win the AI vs Human Challenge. The head-to-head duel was the most complex ever staged, featuring finalists from the DCL Falcon Cup—some of the top drone pilots in the world. Over two high-intensity days, 14 international teams qualified for the finals week, with the top four advancing to compete across multiple challenging race formats. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada and the USA represented a mix of university labs, research institutes, and startup innovators. Each team raced a standardized drone equipped with the compact yet powerful NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for onboard perception and control. With no human input, the drones relied entirely on real-time processing and AI-driven decision-making to reach speeds exceeding 150 km/h through a complex race environment. The course design pushed the boundaries of perception-based autonomy—featuring wide gate spacing, irregular lighting, and minimal visual markers. The use of rolling shutter cameras further heightened the difficulty, testing each team's ability to deliver fast, stable performance under demanding conditions. This marked the first time an autonomous drone race of this scale and complexity was staged on such a visually sparse track, underscoring the ambition and technical challenge of the event. Championship Highlights AI Grand Challenge Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) set the fastest time on the 170-meter course, completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds. AI vs Human Showdown Winner: MavLab's autonomous drone outpaced top human pilot—in a landmark AI vs Human showdown. Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Winner: TII Racing emerged victorious in the multi-drone format, in a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance. Autonomous Drag Race Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) claimed victory in the world's first AI-only drag race, demonstrating straight-line speed and control under high acceleration against the championship's top teams. 'At ATRC, we believe innovation must be proven in the real world, not just promised,' said H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, and Secretary-General of ATRC. 'A2RL is more than a race, it's a global testbed for high-performance autonomy and reflects the UAE's commitment to advancing AI, robotics, and next-gen mobility responsibly.' 'The future of flight doesn't live in a lab – it lives on the racetrack,' said Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, the hosting entity of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. 'What we saw this weekend brings us closer to scaling autonomous systems in everyday life.' Markus Stampfer, Executive Chairman of DCL, added: 'We brought elite racing conditions to autonomous flight—and the AI rose to the challenge. This was a major leap for both sport and technology.' Ecstatic after clinching three top titles, Christophe De Wagter, team principal of MavLab, shared 'Winning the AI Grand Challenge and the AI vs Human race is a huge milestone for our team. It validates years of research and experimentation in autonomous flight. To see our algorithms outperform in such a high-pressure environment and take home the largest share of the prize pool, is incredibly rewarding." The A2RL X DCL Drone STEM Program, designed in collaboration with UNICEF and under the supervision of the ATRC, has trained over 100 Emirati students this year. Over 60% earned the prestigious Trusted Operator Program certification and 24 achieved perfect scores, showcasing the cutting-edge aviation skills being developed as part of the program. With the drone finale now in the books, all eyes turn to Season 2 of A2RL's autonomous car racing series, set for Q4 2025 at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Al Etihad
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Al Etihad
AI triumphs in world's most sophisticated autonomous drone race in Abu Dhabi
16 Apr 2025 18:51 ABU DHABI (WAM)The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), part of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), concluded the inaugural A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship in the Middle East, at ADNEC Marina a major breakthrough for autonomous flight and aerial robotics, Team MavLab's AI drone outpaced a world-leading human pilot to win the AI vs Human Challenge. The head-to-head duel was the most complex ever staged, featuring finalists from the DCL Falcon Cup—some of the top drone pilots in the two high-intensity days, 14 international teams qualified for the final week, with the top four advancing to compete across multiple challenging race formats. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkiye, China, Spain, Canada and the USA represented a mix of university labs, research institutes, and startup team raced a standardised drone equipped with the compact yet powerful NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for onboard perception and control. With no human input, the drones relied entirely on real-time processing and AI-driven decision-making to reach speeds exceeding 150 km/h through a complex race course design pushed the boundaries of perception-based autonomy, featuring wide gate spacing, irregular lighting, and minimal visual markers. The use of rolling shutter cameras further heightened the difficulty, testing each team's ability to deliver fast, stable performance under demanding conditions. This marked the first time an autonomous drone race of this scale and complexity was staged on such a visually sparse track, underscoring the ambition and technical challenge of the Highlights:● AI Grand Challenge Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) set the fastest time on the 170-meter course, completing two laps (22 gates) in just 17 seconds.● AI vs Human Showdown Winner: MavLab's autonomous drone outpaced top human pilot—in a landmark AI vs Human showdown.● Multi-Autonomous Drone Race Winner: TII Racing emerged victorious in the multi-drone format, in a high-speed test of AI coordination and collision avoidance.● Autonomous Drag Race Winner: MavLab (TU Delft) claimed victory in the world's first AI-only drag race, demonstrating straight-line speed and control under high acceleration against the championship's top teams.'At ATRC, we believe innovation must be proven in the real world, not just promised,' said Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, and Secretary-General of ATRC.'A2RL is more than a race, it's a global testbed for high-performance autonomy and reflects the UAE's commitment to advancing AI, robotics, and next-gen mobility responsibly," he said added.'The future of flight doesn't live in a lab – it lives on the racetrack. What we saw this weekend brings us closer to scaling autonomous systems in everyday life," said said Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, the hosting entity of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing Stampfer, Executive Chairman of DCL, added, 'We brought elite racing conditions to autonomous flight—and the AI rose to the challenge. This was a major leap for both sport and technology.'Ecstatic after clinching three top titles, Christophe De Wagter, team principal of MavLab, shared 'Winning the AI Grand Challenge and the AI vs Human race is a huge milestone for our team. It validates years of research and experimentation in autonomous flight. To see our algorithms outperform in such a high-pressure environment and take home the largest share of the prize pool, is incredibly rewarding." The A2RL X DCL Drone STEM Programme, designed in collaboration with UNICEF and under the supervision of the ATRC, has trained over 100 Emirati students this year. Over 60 percent earned the prestigious Trusted Operator Programme certification, and 24 achieved perfect scores, showcasing the cutting-edge aviation skills being developed as part of the programme.
What's On
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- What's On
Experience a thrilling, world-first drone racing event in Abu Dhabi
Sponsored: They'll even race against humans… Abu Dhabi is set to host a groundbreaking fusion of technology, speed, and entertainment as the A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship flies into ADNEC Marina Hall on April 11 and 12. This high-energy event will feature a new era of drone racing where artificial intelligence takes centre stage. Powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX modules, these drones fly completely autonomously—no pilots, no remote controls—just cutting-edge AI guiding every twist, turn, and high-speed manoeuver. Plus theres $1 million dollars up for grabs. The championship will include four exhilarating races, including the fan-favourite 'AI vs Human' race, which pits top-tier first-person view (FPV) drone pilots against clever AI systems. It's a one-of-a-kind battle between human skill and machine precision, sure to captivate tech enthusiasts, racing fans, and curious minds alike. But the excitement doesn't stop at the racing track. Visitors can expect a full weekend experience packed with futuristic performances, immersive DJ sets, interactive gaming zones, and family-friendly activities designed to entertain and inspire audiences of all ages. This events runs alongside the A2RL Summit 2.0, which also brings the brightest minds and global pioneers from the incredible fields of artificial intelligence, motorsports, gaming, and mobility, further cementing Abu Dhabi's position as a hub for innovation and next-generation experiences. Best of all, this adrenaline-pumping showcase is open to the public and completely free to attend. If you'd like to go, you must first pre-register to secure your spot as tickets are limited at what promises to be one of the most exciting tech events of the year. The A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship runs from 10am to 6pm on both days, offering a full schedule of races and entertainment. For registration and more information, check out the official website. > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
