Races in the Sky: FPV drone racing gaining momentum in China

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02:41

First-person view or FPV drone racing is gaining popularity in China. The game allows players to pilot their drones while wearing goggles to see live footage captured by the drones. One such competition was held in east China's Nanjing earlier today, attracting players from several countries. CGTN's Li Jianhua was there to take in the action.

Tinkering, tuning and making last-minute preparations for the aerial game, the drone equivalent of Formula 1 racing.

Sort of like a combination of augmented reality and video games, FPV drone racing attracts many young players.

One drone facing off against another, an opportunity for tech buffs to show off their skills by piloting ultra-light weight racing drones across specially arranged circuits.

The drones are fitted with cameras with pilots using point of view goggles to see where they are going. They fly at a speed of over one hundred and 80 kilometers per hour.

ZOU XIANG PROFESSIONAL DRONE RACER "Many say drone pilots from other countries are better than those in China, either because foreign pilots started earlier, or they are more into the game. They would hold a party for the game. But somehow Chinese players are too serious and more stressed out."

Brett Collis from the UK has been racing drones since the game started there nearly four years ago.

"This is your third competition in China. And back in the UK, how do you find the difference between the competition in the UK and that in China?"

BRETT COLLIS BRITISH DRONE PILOT "It's my third competition in China. It's quite a bit more funding here in China. The race is a lot more elaborate – lots of inflated gates, things like that – they look a lot better compared to the UK where it's more grassroots – kinda it's just a bunch of people off in a random field doing it."

Chen Cheng, a seasoned pilot himself, is the event's organizer. He is positive about the game's future in China, though it's quite new in the country.

CHEN CHENG FOUNDER, X-FLY "Although currently this industry is a niche (new) sport, the market is growing very big, and at a very fast speed. And as we know China is the biggest manufacturer of drones in the world. So in the future, I'm pretty sure in less than five or ten years this sport would go mainstream."

With more investment being poured into the sector here in China, it seems all but certain that Chen's prediction will come true. LJH, CGTN, NANJING, JIANGSU PROVINCE.