Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), part of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), in collaboration with the Drone Champions League (DCL), concluded the inaugural A2RL x DCL Autonomous Drone Championship in the Middle East, at ADNEC Marina Hall, Abu Dhabi, UAE. In a major breakthrough for autonomous flight and aerial robotics, Team MavLab’s AI drone outpaced a world-leading human pilot to win the AI vs Human Challenge. The head-to-head duel was the most complex ever staged, featuring finalists from the DCL Falcon Cup-some of the top drone pilots in the world.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, over two high-intensity days, 14 international teams qualified for the finals week, with the top four advancing to compete across multiple challenging race formats. Teams from the UAE, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Canada, and the USA represented a mix of university labs, research institutes, and startup innovators.