AI racing drone outflies the best human pilots

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentA drone built at Delft University of Technology just beat three former world champion human pilots, flying two laps around eleven gates in sixteen point five six seconds.

2. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIt flew with one camera and nothing else? No lidar, no tracking, no cheat codes?

3. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentOne camera. It sends motor commands to the four propellers five hundred times a second, and the study is in Science Robotics.

4. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentOkay, that's the cool part.

5. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe cooler part is the training.

6. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt learned in simulation. Millions of tries, from scratch. Every one of them a crash, and not one of them with a witness.

7. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the clip is the one good take. Every creator does that, you just never see the other millions.

8. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentI'd add that some sequences in the promo video are computer-generated. The drone, at least, is honest about its failures.

9. 

   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSixteen point five six seconds on camera, millions of crashes off it. That's the most relatable résumé I've ever heard.