On Friday (30 November), India hosted its first Night Drone Racing in Bengaluru. More than 20 teams participated in the competition, which was a part of the ongoing Bengaluru Tech Summit.
Some of the recorded speeds even touched 150 kmph. The venue was Bangalore Palace, in the heart of the city. The Indian Drone Racing League (IDRL) hosted nano and mid-sized drones that weighed more than 250 grams. Competing in the race by having to finish three laps, IDRL has over 20 obstacles which each pilot will have to overcome. This needs a lot of practice and the pilots are guided by the cameras fit on the drones that live stream videos.
A prize money of Rs 500,000 was announced to the winner. Tech enthusiasts are hoping that in the forthcoming years, there will be bigger scope for drone races in the country, since this happens rarely around us.
Deccan Herald quoted one of the pilots as saying, “Two years ago, there were only 10 to 12 drone racing pilots in the entire country. Today, there are hundreds registered on our groups.”