A 15-year-old British pilot has led his team to victory at Dubai’s first World Drone Prix contest.
Luke Bannister and his team, the Tornado X-Blades Banni UK, won $250,000 out of $1 million in prize money for first place in the track race category.
The race had groups of four pilots sit in racing-style seats wearing goggles that allow them to watch a live feed from a camera on their drones.
The drones raced for 12 laps on a dedicated aerial track behind the racers, who had to overcome a series of obstacles while incurring the least number of penalties as possible.
“It is not merely a flying game, but a sport that requires mental focus and accuracy to enable users to harmonize mental commands and hand movements to fly their drone,” Saif Mohammed al-Suwaidi, director-general of the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, said in a statement at the race.
Meanwhile at the event, the UAE’s minister for Cabinet Affairs, Mohammed al-Gergawi, announced the start of the World Future Sports Games in December 2017.
The contests will include robotic swimming, running, wrestling, car racing, and drone flying.
Follow us on
