Drone racing gets live ESPN coverage
August 2, 2016
By Chris Forrester
Vuzix, which makes VR and Augmented Reality kits, is partnering with Aminon, which manufactures HD TV vision systems, to launch international drone racing onto ESPN. The pair will sponsor a drone at this weekend’s 2016 US National Drone Racing Championships, held at Governors Island, in New York City (August 5th – 7th).
The event is being broadcast ‘live’ by ESPN, and beamed out over the US. “The event marks the first time an all-digital zero latency vision system will be used in a sanctioned racing event,” says a statement from the duo.
“During select events, both racers and judging officials will wear Vuzix iWear products and the drones will be enabled with the Aminon Connex ProSight system. In product testing, the Vuzix eyewear combined with the Connex ProSight wireless solution delivered an unprecedented first person view HD experience that provides superior vision performance, image quality and usability for racing pilots, as well as spectators. The crisp digital images, latency-free transmission and larger iWear display along with an extremely wide field of view can enable pilots to make quicker decisions while flying through a competitive race course at speeds in excess of 80 MPH.”
“The ProSight system – consisting of a combination of a real-time HD camera, transmitter and receiver, are all based on proven technology from CONNEX – featuring uncompressed 720P High-Definition over a digital link, a transmission range of up to 1000 feet and latency free, real-time video at all operating ranges. The solution addresses head on issues that have plagued first generation analogue FPV products, including unclear images, and jammed frequencies caused by multiple simultaneous users.”