In an electrifying showdown, an AI-powered drone named Swift has etched its name in history by outshining the world’s top human pilots in the adrenaline-pumping realm of high-speed drone racing.
AI’s ceaseless march forward, harnessing its knack for data crunching, pattern recognition, optimization, and tackling repetitive tasks, has reached another milestone.
Swift, a brainchild of University of Zurich researchers, has left its mark by triumphing in 15 out of 25 races against reigning world champions.
These races push drones to a staggering 50mph (80 km/h), subjecting them to mind-bending accelerations of up to 5g – an intensity capable of causing blackouts in most people.
Elia Kaufmann, a key figure in Swift’s development, couldn’t hide the excitement, exclaiming, “Our result marks the first time that an AI-driven robot has bested a human champion in a sport designed by and for humans.”
Drone racing, witnessed through the pilot’s eye, involves navigating a drone through gates on a course, all while avoiding collisions. Pilots rely on live video feeds from onboard cameras for their maneuvers.
This epic showdown pitted Swift against three reigning drone racing champions: Thomas Bitmatta, Marvin Schapper, and Alex Vanover.
Human pilots had a week to practice on the actual course, whereas Swift underwent rigorous training in a meticulously replicated virtual environment.
Swift’s training method deployed cutting-edge deep reinforcement learning. It entailed discovering optimal commands through trial and error.
During training, Swift simulated hundreds of crashes. The virtual setting allowed researchers to restart the process whenever necessary.
Elia Kaufmann, the study’s lead author, explained, “To ensure that the simulator faithfully mirrored real-world consequences, we developed a method to fine-tune the simulator using real data.”
This remarkable feat of AI dominance in a physically demanding sport showcases the relentless progress of artificial intelligence across diverse domains. Swift’s triumph stands as a testament to AI’s extraordinary capabilities, setting the stage for more thrilling contests in the high-speed drone racing arena.
