00:00My name is Stefan Timpano, I'm the CEO of Aspire and E2RL, the organizer of the E2RL Drone Championship.
00:24Today we are at the finals of the second edition of the E2RL Drone Championship.
00:28We are actually running the AI Speed Race finals, where the top six teams have been racing on this track.
00:36It's a track on an arena of 27 by 35 meters, it's 90 meters two times, and the speeds are crazy, around 35 meters per second.
00:49Well, we started everything as a technology challenge, this is the mission of Aspire and TRC.
00:53Now, we're getting into racing competition. Compared to last year, where we had two teams really, really strong.
01:00We have at least five teams that can perform in an envelope of a few seconds difference, and at very crazy speed.
01:08So, the quality of the team, the preparation of the team has really increased.
01:13All boiled down to the quality of the code that they've been able to build up, to put into the drone.
01:19So, there's a lot still of technology research beyond everything we see.
01:26From the moment we launch the goal, and you have a little beep in the race, the drone act autonomously.
01:34Recognize the sound and start racing.
01:36They have been doing this circuit for a long, long time, so I've been learning how the circuit is built up.
01:42And they're able to also see what's going around with the cameras they have.
01:45And then, they elaborate all the data to be able to pass the gates.
01:50It's easy when it comes to only a speed race, when there is only one drone on the track.
01:55But later in the afternoon, we'll have drones racing once against the other, and a multi-drone race with three drones racing at the same time.
02:02And here, complexity kicks in because whatever they have embarked in the drone must be able to see what's going around with the camera,
02:10analyzing the data, and take the decision to push, to brake, or to avoid an impact with another drone.
02:20This is what E2RL, the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, is about.
02:24Yes, we do racing with autonomous cars and drones, but we've developed technologies that are going to impact the mobility of tomorrow.
02:31And in the UAE, in Abu Dhabi, this is what we are doing.
02:34We are one of the most advanced countries in the world when it comes to autonomy.
02:39We have one of the biggest testbeds when it comes to autonomous taxi, for example, in this country.
02:44We are going to launch autonomous flying taxis in the coming years.
02:49And all these things help develop the technologies that will be in these vehicles.
02:54But more importantly, we build up the trust of the grand public that see autonomy working.
03:02Well, E2RL is a two-year competition now.
03:06We are going to keep on growing, not only in the UAE, but also globally.
03:10There is a lot of demands to bring this format around the world.
03:13People are getting curious about how autonomy at speed can perform.
03:18For us, it's also a way to involve the people.
03:20General public, as I was saying, to allow them to touch with their hands how autonomy is going to work.
03:26But also to be a catalyst when it comes to research with the best scientists from around the world
03:31that have come in Abu Dhabi to showcase what they are able to do.
Comments