Although drone racing is still a relatively new phenomenon around the world, the sport is starting to gain traction and make its way into the national spotlight only a few years after its inception in 2014 in the United States. The Drone Sports Association (DSA) predicts the sport could become just as popular as Nascar and Formula 1 racing, in years to come.
As the sport becomes more and more popular around the country, the official Drone Racing League (DRL) announced a six-race series in 2016 set in various cities around the United States. In addition, the DSA and ESPN recently signed a multi-year deal, allowing the network to broadcast both the 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships in New York City this August and the World Drone Racing Championships in October on ESPN 3.
Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!
Autonomous, a small technology company with locations in New York, Shenzhen and Ho Chi Minh City, is jumping into the action with the release of their new virtual reality drone kits.
As drone racing is starting to take off (pun intended), Autonomous is making it easier than ever to get a hold of one for yourself. The company has recently developed a drone racing kit that include 2 drones, VR (virtual reality) headsets that transport each player into a first person, pilot-like view of the flight, 2 controllers, flags and cones for setting up a course, a backpack, and the free racing app for your phone or other device.
Drone racing is as simple as downloading the application, challenging your friends to a race, and hoping you’re as good at drone racing as you are at smack talking (Autonomous recommends a few practice rounds before you embarrass yourself in front of your friends).
Although the first Drone Racing Kits won’t be shipped out until August of this year, the kits are available to purchase in advance on Indiegogo and they blew past their fundraising goal in the first hour the campaign went live.