Autonomous quadrotor beats two human pilots in a drone race

Unlike self-driving cars, autonomous drones can generally get from "A" to "B" safely, but could they beat a human pilot in a drone race? So far the answer has been "no way," but now, researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) have created an algorithm that allowed an AI-powered drone to beat two human pilots on an experimental race track. The work could lead to more efficient drones for rescues, deliveries and other chores. In the past, researchers have built simplified models of quadrotor systems or flight paths to calculate the optimum trajectory. This time, however, they fully accounted for the drone's limitations.