Latest news with #MavLab
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.
Daily Tribune
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Tribune
AI Drone Defeats Human Pilots in $1M Abu Dhabi Racing League Showdown
In a groundbreaking moment for artificial intelligence and robotics, an AI-powered drone has defeated elite human pilots at the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), marking a new era in autonomous flight. Hosted at ADNEC Marina Hall in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), the event showcased the world's most advanced autonomous aerial racing technology. A total of 14 teams from countries including the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, China, and the US competed across multiple challenges for a $1 million prize pool. 🔸 Dutch Innovation Soars The standout performer of the tournament was MavLab from Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, which claimed victory in three out of four categories. Most notably, the team's AI-powered drone completed two laps of a 170-metre course in just 17 seconds, winning the AI Grand Challenge. In a historic AI vs. Human showdown, MavLab's drone edged out three champion human pilots from DCL in head-to-head races. This marked the first time an autonomous system has decisively outperformed professional human pilots in competitive drone racing. 'Winning three top titles is a huge milestone for our team,' said Christophe De Wagter, team principal at MavLab. 'I always wondered when AI would be able to compete with human drone racing pilots in real competitions. I'm extremely proud that we've made it happen this year.' 🔸 UAE's TII Claims a Victory of Its Own The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) of Abu Dhabi also left a strong mark by winning the multi-autonomous drone AI race, which tested coordination, real-time navigation, and collision avoidance. TII's win highlighted the region's growing influence in advanced AI and robotics research. 🔸 A Test of Pure Autonomy Each team raced standardised drones with zero human input — guided solely by onboard AI algorithms. These drones, equipped with a compact computing module, a forward-facing camera, and an inertial measurement unit, navigated a complex course at speeds exceeding 150 km/h. Challenging lighting, sparse visual markers, and the use of rolling shutter cameras further pushed the limits of real-time AI performance, making this the most demanding autonomous drone race ever held globally. 🔸 What's Next? This competition, part of a broader initiative by Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), not only set a new benchmark in AI racing but also demonstrated the growing capabilities of autonomous systems in real-world conditions. As AI continues to evolve, such achievements underscore its ability to outperform humans in fields once thought impossible — and drone racing may just be the beginning.
Gulf News
18-04-2025
- Science
- Gulf News
Watch: AI drone beats human pilot in Abu Dhabi's $1 million prize pool autonomous race
Abu Dhabi: AI is no longer learning from humans – it's starting to beat them. In a major breakthrough for autonomous flight and aerial robotics, an AI-powered drone has outpaced human pilots in a global competition held in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), a project under the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), hosted one of the world's most sophisticated drone races at ADNEC Marina Hall. A total of 14 international teams made it to the finals week, competing for a $1 million prize pool. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada, and the US represented university labs, research institutes, and deep-tech startups. The highlight? MavLab, from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, secured victories in three out of four competitions. They clinched the AI Grand Challenge with their drone completing two laps of the 170-metre course in just 17 seconds. MavLab won the world's first AI-only drag race, demonstrating straight-line speed and precision under intense acceleration. In a landmark moment, MavLab's autonomous drone defeated three top DCL champion pilots in a head-to-head AI-versus-human showdown. With precision flying, the AI-powered drone edged out its human-piloted rivals in thrilling contests. (Watch the video) 'Winning three top titles is a huge milestone for our team,' said Christophe De Wagter, team principal of MavLab. 'I always wondered when AI would be able to compete with human drone racing pilots in real competitions. I'm extremely proud of the team that we were able to make it happen already this year.' The results, he underlined, 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,' De Wagter noted. Meanwhile, Technology Innovation Institute (TII), Abu Dhabi, bagged the multi- autonomous drone AI race in a high-speed challenge that tested coordination, navigation, and collision avoidance between multiple autonomous units. How did they race? Each team raced a standardised drone equipped with a compact computing module, a forward-facing camera and an inertial measurement unit. With zero human input, the drones relied solely on real-time processing and AI-driven decision-making, hitting speeds of more than 150 km/h through a challenging course. The race environment pushed the boundaries of perception-based autonomy, with wide gate spacing, irregular lighting, and minimal visual markers. To raise the difficulty, the event used rolling shutter cameras – further testing each team's ability to achieve fast, stable performance in visually sparse conditions. This was the first time an autonomous drone race of this scale and complexity was held under such constraints, underscoring the technical sophistication of the event.
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.
