Latest news with #A2RLxDCLAutonomousDroneChampionship
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
Al Etihad
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- Al Etihad
A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship 2025 finale to take place in Abu Dhabi
8 Apr 2025 18:02 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) and Drone Champions League (DCL) will host the A2RL x DCL Drone Championship 2025 finale from 11-12 April 2025 at ADNEC Marina Hall, Abu Dhabi. Fourteen elite competitors from across the globe will race for a US$1 million prize pool across four extreme challenges, showcasing cutting-edge drone technology.A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship will bring together top minds in drone engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics, challenging teams to race through a dynamic aerial course at extreme speeds. Each drone must rely entirely on onboard computing and navigation systems to maneuver without external teams will need to showcase their skills in sensor fusion, advanced control algorithms, and deep learning, condensing highly complex computations into a tiny device that soars, dodges, and conquers gates in a fraction of a A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship aims to push innovation in AI-driven mobility while establishing Abu Dhabi as a global hub for advanced autonomous and AI technology. The racing competition is a game-changer for both drone racing and the wider field of AI-powered robotics, influencing industries such as autonomous delivery, aerial surveillance and emergency different challenges will present a unique set of circumstances for the teams to consider as they develop their drone control algorithms. To reach this stage, each team has passed two highly competitive qualifying rounds that saw hundreds of talented teams from around the world compete for just 14 final four challenges include the AI Grand Challenge which is a single-drone time trial on a 170-metre track. Each drone must navigate gates as quickly as possible and complete two timed laps to achieve a valid finish. The AI vs Human which is a race that pits the top four AI teams against DCL's elite first-person view pilots in head-to-head knockout rounds on the same racetrack as the AI Grand Challenge. The Multi-drone Race will include four drones race simultaneously, the teams' algorithms for collision avoidance, in-flight maneuvering, and racing line optimisation, and the AI Drag Race, a straight-line battle, measuring acceleration and from universities, research institutions, companies, and private organisations, the final 14 teams come from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada and the succeed, teams must programme drones to fly through the track's gates as fast as possible without human input, while the drones must independently calculate their flight path and dynamically adjust to environmental conditions, such as air movement and lighting, as well as gate positions. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 150 km/h, the new A2RL x DCL drones will use a single forward-facing camera and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for flight this new format is the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX computing module, which provides each drone with an impressive onboard graphics processing unit (GPU) in a compact, power-efficient package. The GPU will utilise all the information and data generated by the camera and IMU—in line with its programming—to control the drone.A2RL will host the second edition of the A2RL Summit on 11 April 2025, bringing together industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers under the theme Building the Motor Valley of AI & Robotics in the UAE. This year's summit will explore the convergence of R&D in Motorsports, the Future of Mobility, and Games for alongside the A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship, the DCL Falcon Cup Finals bring high-speed, team-based FPV drone racing to ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. As one of the three flagship Cups shaping the DCL 2025 Season, the Falcon Cup sets the stage for top-tier competition early in the year. Spain Drone Team, Raiden Racing, Cyclone Racing, and the DCL Wildcard Team will go head-to-head in a live showdown on 11-12 April 2025. The event channels DCL's competitive spirit and delivers pure adrenaline for fans onsite and online, with a full broadcast on DCL's YouTube channel on 26 the two days, visitors can expect futuristic roaming performances that blend technology and artistry, a high-energy DJ set within the Drone Area, creating an immersive atmosphere and kid-friendly activities including interactive gaming zones and face painting. The A2RL x DCL Drone Championship is sponsored by XRG, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi Mobility, AWS, Du Infra, and Wio Bank. Registration for the event is free at
