David Hambling over at Popular Mechanics has identified 7 reasons why DJI “has won the drone wars.” It might be premature to declare the war over and some of the items on his list are self-evident (e.g. have the best tech, open up to developers); but others are insightful. These include hiring a good lawyer and investing in services that will help accelerate growth of core business (e.g. DroneBase). One reason he does not give is to startup in a country that has a more favorable regulatory environment. Be that as it may you can find his article here.
Skyward CEO, Jonathan Evans, explains why “drones will be bigger than you think” in a Youtube video from Forbes. He believes that with drones we are currently at the “Apple 2e moment” which will grow into an aero-robotics network with a high degree of programmatic specificity. It is an interesting take. And what drone manufacturer does he reference in his short talk? DJI of course. You can view below and read associated article here.
“In Dubai we believe that every end is the beginning of a new journey and our journey towards being in the future starts today” he said. “The World Drone Prix is the future of racing pushing the boundary of drone technology until it becomes the reality of transport in the future.”
Also announced was the formation of the World Organization of Racing Drones which will be setting the rules and guidelines for the event. They do not appear to have launched a web site yet however the following details were made pubic:
On December 20, the World Organisation for Racing Drones will release a code of conduct and rules and regulations for the event.
Qualifying events, which will be held at various locations on every continent, will begin on January 1, 2016. To qualify, teams must place in first, second or third positions in qualifying races of 15 or more teams.
Teams that qualify for the competition will be flown into Dubai in early March to take part in a practice run on March 9.
The opening day of the event will be held on the evening of March 10, with the main event – which includes freestyle and track races – taking place on March 11th.
Prizes will be awarded in several other categories, such as best manufacturer.
Event organisers noted that the Drone Prix’s $1 million grand prize dwarfs that of other drones races that are currently being held.
The October 17-22, 2016 World Drone Racing Championship in Hawaii, for example, will give $200,000 in cash, prizes and trophies to winners across multiple categories.
To participate in the Drone Prix, teams must have at least five members, including a pilot, a navigator, someone in charge of the pit-stop, a pit-stop technician, and a team leader.
All teams must have at least one sponsor.
All drones that take part in the competition will have similar batteries and air frames to ensure competitive races, and must be operated by team members using remote control, rather than autonomously on pre-programmed routes.
The World Grand Prix will mark the second major drone competition hosted by Dubai in 2016.
In February, the winners of the second UAE Drones For Good Awards, which has attracted 1,107 participants from 165 countries, will be announced at a special ceremony prior to the Fourth Government Summit.
Drone Prix terms
> Qualifying events at various locations will begin on January 1, 2016
> Teams that qualify will be flown to Dubai in early March
> Each team must have at least 5 members, including a pilot, a navigator, someone in charge of the pit-stop, a pit-stop technician and a team leader
Frank Schroth is editor in chief of DroneLife, the authoritative source for news and analysis on the drone industry: it’s people, products, trends, and events.
Email Frank
TWITTER:@fschroth
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