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Lockheed Martin, in collaboration with the Drone Racing League (DRL) announced a new competition that challenges teams to develop drone AI technology to race against pilot-operated drones.
The team will compete in a series of challenges that can earn them a share of over $2 million in prizes. The first team to achieve the feat will also have an additional $200,000 in their pockets.
Credit: DRL
The AI powered machines will compete against the pilot-driven drones on the Artificial Intelligence Robotic Racing Circuit in San Francisco, which is a DRL project set to be completed in 2019.
The teams will work on the DRL’s standard quadcopters and be aided by the NVIDIA Jetson platform in turning them into self-piloting machines. The drones will have to adapt on the go while they race though, as the contestants cannot supervise them during the competition and are not allowed to pre-program them.
If any of the teams will be able to accomplish the task successfully, the future of drones will most likely be altered in more ways than one.
DRL standard drone
Credit: DRL
Though it is true that AI-driven drones can serve multiple other purposes, it’s no secret Lockheed Martin manufactures military arms and technology and that drone technology is high up on the list of machines defense and security companies are trying to weaponize and use for surveillance, so one has to wonder what purpose the AI-to-be will actually serve in the long run.
Lockheed Martin is no stranger to controversy, especially since, back in August this year, a laser-guided Mark 82 bomb built by the company killed 51 people in Yemen.
We want to believe the defense contractor is not scouting for talent or for new AI software, but their front line presence in the competition would say otherwise.
According to Lockheed:
By participating in this competition, your knowledge and ideas can contribute directly toward the future of autonomous transportation, delivery, disaster relief, and even space exploration!
Lockheed Martin is launching AlphaPilot to address the role of autonomy in our collective futures. Through a fun and challenging objective, AlphaPilot will unite a diverse community of practice and emerging experts around the common challenges of trusted autonomous systems. AlphaPilot is designed to inspire, entertain, and galvanize public interest in a world enabled by autonomy.
Nonetheless, if you’re interested in participating, you can start signing up come November, via Lockheed Martin’s official website.
As far as the involvement of DRL with the defense contractor giant goes, we have reached out for a statement and will keep you posted.
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