The Drone Racing League and its technology partner Lockheed Martin have selected nine teams from top-tier universities and aerospace institutes to participate in its first autonomous racing circuit.
Those picked for the AlphaPilot Innovation Challenge are tasked with developing an artificial intelligence that can pilot high-speed racing drones. At stake is a $1 million cash prize. The teams, comprised of 69 students, drone technologists, aerospace engineers, and coders from around the world, will be pushing the boundaries of autonomous flight.
DRL will provide the drone hardware, while the teams will design an AI framework capable of piloting the drones through aerial courses without any GPS, data relay, or human intervention.