*By Carlo Versano*
The burgeoning sport of drone racing is about to go autonomous. The professional Drone Racing League is preparing to launch a circuit for A.I. drones to compete against one another ー and, eventually, against human-controlled drones.
Nicholas Horbaczewski, the founder and CEO of the DRL, previewed the new circuit in an interview on Cheddar Wednesday. To recruit the best and brightest in drone engineering, DRL has launched the [Alpha Pilot Challenge](www.herox.com/alphapilot), an open competition to find "world-class experts in artificial intelligence" to program the world's fastest autonomous drones that will "accelerate the pace of innovation," Horbaczewski said.
It's the latest tech/sports crossover event in a rapidly-growing segment of esports that is still relatively unknown in the U.S. But it's not just for hobbyists, Horbaczewski said. The prize pool in the competition is $2 million, and includes support from Lockheed Martin ($LMT).
Currently, DRL consists of 18 pilots operating drones that can hit top speeds of more than 80 mph across seven circuits around the world ー unique venues that have include an abandoned shopping mall, Las Vegas hotel, and amusement park. Horbaczewski, who was previously an executive at endurance-event series, Tough Mudder, said the DRL community is similarly passionate to Mudders. "People live for this," he said.
Whether that passion will translate when there are no humans making the decisions is an open question. Horbaczewski said the plan is to eventually take the fastest human-piloted drone and pit it against the fastest autonomous drone. "We'll see how far A.I. is from matching human ability," he said.
Because the DRL races all occur on closed courses with professional pilots, the league has been able to grow, immune to the evolving regulations in the nascent drone space ー in the same way Formula One drivers are exempt from seatbelt rules. But Horbaczewski said he's noticed the regulatory environment around drones is rapidly improving from where it was three years ago, when DRL launched amid widespread concerns over drone safety and privacy issues.
Now, the league is another arm of a budding esports industry, complete with non-endemic sponsors like Lockheed, licensing agreements, and media deals ー and a rabid fan base, to boot.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rev-your-controllers-the-drone-racing-league-looks-for-participants).
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The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
