Gadgetory

FPV drone racing is already a huge hit amongst RC hobbyists and as the sport continues to grow in popularity so do pro circuits the drone racing league or DRL is trying to take the sport to the next level with awesome looking race track designs innovative tech and some of the coolest broadcast equipment we've ever seen this is dr s first official season and we got to go to their second qualifying event level 2 la pocalypse set in a real abandoned shopping mall near los angeles DRL CEO and founder nicholas herbert Chesky gave us a walking tour of the enormous post-apocalyptic track this is a very cool setting for a drone race because it allows us to use the full three-dimensional elements of racing so the drones go up they go down they come around and those drones aren't just flying up down and through simple hoops DRL worked with Hollywood special effects company legacy effects create a one-of-a-kind environment their experience working on films like Jurassic world Ironman and Pacific Rim really shows in this elaborate course design not only does dr i'll have to consider how pilots from all over the world will fly through the track but also how spectators would be able to see the drones which travel up to 80 miles an hour at times do this they borrow a cable system called the bat cam which follows along and even gets ahead of the action so the back cam is a cable cam that runs over the length of the course it can go 100 miles an hour you know you got a 100 mile an hour camera chasing an 80 mile an hour drone so it's a it's pretty exciting when they're both going full speed since racers require constant video signal from the drones fpv camera to see where their quadcopter is going at all times DRL had to create a lot of the tech they use the drum racing league has designed and built our own radio frequency equipment from the ground up and it allows us to put on race courses on a scale that's never been seen before each drone is also built from the ground up by DRL this is our second model drone it's called the racer - it's all carbon fiber and it's designed for speed and maneuverability but also for visibility for the audience you'll see it's covered in these LED lights that when they're on are brightly lit and each in a different colors you know which pilot is flying which drone DRL provides its own drones for pilots because of that racers can push the limits of their quadcopter and compete on true pilot skill as opposed to technical enhancements ro is taking chances we want to go as fast as week and you know get that adrenaline rush up so you need to do so as we live for us pilots we often say to the pilots if you're not crashing you're not making party night watching drone races feels like you're in a science-fiction film and if a race comes to your area get a ticket you won't be disappointed