A team headed by a 15-year-old pilot from England has been declared the champion during the inaugural World Drone Prix in Dubai on Saturday.
Luke Bannister's team, the Tornado X-Blades Banni UK, has taken home $250,000 for winning the first place in the World Drone Prix, deemed as today's biggest drone race in the world.
Bannister's team piloted the drone along an illuminated outdoor track with the help of the camera installed on its front. The drone also hurdled through a series of lit-up hoops.
The team has outperformed 150 other groups who participated in the said competition, including the Dubai Dronetek, who got the second place.
At the competition, four pilots of the team were wearing special goggles which allowed them to look at the feed from the drone's camera.
Nigel Tomlinson, the manager of the winning team, said that the 43 members who compose the team would split the prize money won.
The 15-year-old champ, in the meantime, was happy after winning the top spot in the World Drone Prix.
"The lights were awesome," Bannister told CBC News in an interview upon getting the team's trophy.
Meanwhile, a Cabinet-level minister announced during the event the beginning of the World Future Sports Game which is going to kick start in December next year. Tentatively, the sports game is slated to run from Dec. 28 to 30, 2017.
Among the competitions to be included in this sports game range from robotics swimming, wrestling, running, car racing plus drone flying.
"We are trying to bring the future closer to us," said Mohammed al-Gergawi, the minister for cabinet affairs of the United Arab Emirates.
It appears that drones are now being raced for sport.
In January, Tech Times also reported that the Drone Racing League, a professional organization, kicked off its inaugural season. The season will be composed of six races which are going to be held in quite a few venues, including the Sun Life Stadium in Miami and the Hawthorne Plaza mall in Los Angeles.
The organization is also considering other possible locations for the races within the year, which include Detroit, Auckland, New Zealand and Mexico City.
If you wish to get a glimpse of the victory of Bannister's team, hit the play button below. Just a heads-up, though: the video is a bit stomach-churning.
