International Drone Competition and Conference 2017
The International Drone Sports Competition returned for a second year of exciting drone racing as well as in-depth discussions on drone sports. IDSC 2017 set a record in international participation and scale, as over 150 attendees from over 20 countries around the world--pilots, drone race organizers, government personnel, industry persons and CEOs of drone technology companies--gathered in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, South Korea, to discuss the present and future of drone sports, and of course, to race.
Speaker Matt Roberts, Marketing Director at Formula One
As with last year, the event kicked off with a conference. International Drone Sports Conference 2017, where a diverse lineup of speakers from companies and organizations like DR1 Racing, Formula One, Fatshark, as well as well-known online personas in the FPV community such as Steele "Mr. Steele" Davis spoke about shared their insight on the field, the market, and the future of drone sports.
Speaker Sahand Barati, VP of Business at DR1 Racing
DSI Networking Party
The racing course, an enormous track designed on two soccer fields at Yeongwol Sports Complex
The next day, on Saturday, the pilots made an early start to the competition venue, Yeongwol Sports Complex. Comments and exclamations of surprise and excitement could be heard here and there as the pilots took a tour around the track and took in its enormous size (two soccer fields stuck together) and analyzed the technicalities and skills required to get through certain obstacles.
Opening ceremony
An elaborate opening ceremony signaled the start of the competition. Welcoming speeches, singing and dancing performances by K-pop groups and even cheerleaders were in store for the audience. More importantly, the official foundation of DSI was proclaimed, accompanied by a spectacular show of drones and banners, as representatives from its expected members--DR1, Fatshark, Rotor Rush, TBS and more--mounted the stage.
A freestyle demo by Mr. Steele
Pilots at the ready
A giant drones demo by Freespace Solutions (Pictured: Leonard Hall)
There was even a giant drones demo by Freespace Solutions. They showcased their quickly-developing Freedom 500, piloting it to fly around the large track, making it clear that races and events centered on such large-scale drones were a real possibility in the future.
Minchan Kim wins first place in IDSC 2017
First place and second place winners, Minchan Kim and BanniUK, pose for a photo
A rewarding conclusion to IDSC 2017
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