Will drone races ever be as popular as NASCAR races? It’s quite possible now that there’s an official Drone Racing League commencing its first season next month.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the Drone Racing League either. Back in August, Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins invested $1 million into the league.
Now it’s all coming together.
The professional drone races will be held in various locations around the world, and the organization, led by CEO Nick Horbaczewski, invites the public to suggest potential race locations. Only DRL drones are used in the races, which are scored based on a combination of completion time and checkpoints.
Racing Drones
The racing drones are designed for forward flight so they come equipped with a camera on the front of the chassis. They use high performance Electronic Speed Controllers which modulate the amount of power that goes to motors, allowing them to speed up quickly or slow down suddenly. Each drones’ flight controllers contain a simple hardware, as most of the performance comes from the software. As you would imagine, the drones need to be durable if they’re going to be racing, so their frame is built from sturdy, lightweight carbon fiber and made to withstand impact.
Racing drones differ from the typical hobbyist drones hitting the consumer market these days. While traditional aerial photography drones are designed to hover in place and are typically configured in an X-style shape, racing drones are small (typically 250 mm) and are configured in the H-style shape. There are also differences regarding camera placement.
The drone that the DRL will be using in its 2016 season is called Racer2. The drone was custom built for professional racing and measures in at 255 mm. It has a carbon fiber frame to protect its electronic components and includes an integrated HD camera mount, as well as ultra-bright LEDs for visibility and pilot identification.
The 2016 Season
The season opener will take place on February 22 at the NFL’s Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. The stadium will be transformed into fastest 3D course ever created for drones.
The video below offers some insight into the brand new sport.
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