Drone Races

The drone race organised by EE, Qualcomm, and the European Rotor Sports was held at Wembley on 13 April.

09:50 18 April 2016

An event organised by the mobile network EE, the chipmaker Qualcomm and European Rotor Sports saw tiny drones racing at Wembley on 13 April. The stadium is empty as the tiny drones race out of the players’ tunnel and did three laps. There was also a box full of journalists covering the event with ESPN planning to turn drone racing into a major TV sport.

 

However, certain things have to be sorted before ESPN’s plans can be realised. Such as how spectators can actually see what is going on. Using just the naked eye, it is difficult to spot tiny drones let alone work out who is winning. However, the organisers believe that they can create an absorbing live experience in the future. 

 

The organisers demonstrated how the race can be enjoyed using FPV (first person view) headsets that are also being used by races in guiding their drones or tablets that show the view from an EE action camera mounted on the front of each drone, all streamed live over the 4G network.

 

Despite a number of challenges, plenty of people are coming into the sport and some stars are already emerging. These include 15-year-old Luke Bannister who raced at Wembley. In March, he won the World Drone Prix in Dubai and took home $250,000.