Drone Racing

Drone racing research focuses on developing autonomous and human-controlled systems capable of navigating complex courses at high speeds, prioritizing speed and safety. Current research emphasizes advancements in perception (robust gate detection under varying lighting conditions using continual learning neural networks), control (model predictive control with safety guarantees and learned aerodynamic models), and human-machine interaction (intuitive gesture-based control via 6-DoF hand pose estimation). These improvements are driving progress in both autonomous drone technology and human-drone interaction, with implications for broader robotics and applications beyond racing, such as search and rescue or delivery systems.