Drone racing, a cross between Formula 1 (F1) auto competitions and a real-life wireless Nintendo game, is poised to become the next big sport — with a high-tech twist.
This past week, the Liberty Science Center hosted the first-ever Liberty Cup, a drone competition taking place in Jersey City, New Jersey, just miles (and one river) away from New York City.
Drone builders and pilots from all over the world flocked to the race, with 100 pilots competing Saturday (July 30) and 24 advancing to the finals on Wednesday (Aug. 3). [Photos from Above: 8 Cool Camera-Carrying Drones]
Pilots donned first-person view (FPV) goggles, which allowed the contestants to see the aerial course from a drone's-eye view. Then, using wireless controllers, pilots directed the drones to fly through a series of gates that bore an uncanny resemblance to Quidditch goal hoops (at least for "Harry Potter" fans).
The pilots with the top-three fastest times qualified for the National Drone Racing Championships, which will be held on New York City's Governors Island this weekend (Aug. 5-7). The finalists include Cain Madere from St. Charles, Louisiana (time: 26.731 seconds); Pete Grehan from New South Wales, Australia (27.726 seconds); and Rafael Paiva from São Paolo, Brazil (28.695 seconds).
The Liberty Cup also awarded Colby Curtola of San Francisco first place for the freestyle competition, in which pilots used the racecourse however they saw fit, attempting to wow the judges. Curtola's captivating trial secured him a place at the national championships.
"I'm setting my sights on the drone nationals and hopefully the drone worlds," Curtola said in a statement. "I want to show the world that the USA has the best pilots out there."
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