Did you know that drone racing is a thing?

Aside from the obvious warfare applications, drones and their kin are quickly becoming this generation’s tech of choice. They are filming movies, performing in Cirque du Soleil, and apparently participating in races like flying Hot Wheels. Race them in the forest and you might swear you’re on Endor.

These are quadcopter drones outfitted with First-Person View or FPV cameras. FPV cameras are mounted to the tops of the drones and transmit real-time video via cellular networks back to their operators, who get to view everything on a tablet or virtual realty goggles like the Oculus Rift. As cool as it looks to follow these drones during their race, it must look incredible to the operators.

You can watch the full Return of the Jedi-style race (a “crash edition”) from YouTuber Olivier YORGANDJIAN below:

FPV technology doesn’t stop at a simple video feed either. One company — Sky Drone — offers a FPV camera that works in tandem with an Oculus Rift to track a user’s head movements.

The FPV technology is interesting enough, but I had no idea that little quadcopters were so quick and maneuverable — like little speeder bikes. I’d love to imagine myself zipping around the forest like Luke and Leia. It will only set me back anywhere from 100-2,000 dollars.

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HT Digg

Images: Olivier YORGANDJIAN