Barney Takes on Drone Racing Blue Peter Bite

This is Blue Peter, but mini.

Expect epic adventures, makes, bakes,

badges, pets, presenters and your post.

We've only got five minutes, so get ready for your Blue Peter adventure.

It's taking the tech world by storm.

MOTORS WHINE

Blink...and you might miss it.

And it's so cool.

Look, I'm wearing sunglasses. It's not even sunny.

This...

is drone racing!

I told you it was cool!

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles

that are often used to capture amazing footage like this -

gentle, dreamy shots. Lovely.

But when it comes to racing them, it's all about speed.

So, in a race, drones must complete four laps

of this specially-designed course.

They have to fly at about two metres above the ground,

and they go very, very quickly.

Simply, the fastest drone wins.

The man in charge of the Drone Racing League in the UK is Nigel.

Drones have become very popular over the last year, 18 months,

and people want to race them.

And this is one of the racing drones?

This is a racing drone, yeah.

Camera on the front there, that's what the pilots see.

In the middle is the flight controller,

the little computer that runs everything.

And on the back is a battery to run the four motors and propellers.

They can have everything set up and ready to race

for less than the cost of a games console, believe it or not.

Can't fly these in your back garden, there are rules about drones.

It's about being sensible with them.

We encourage people to come to model clubs like this one.

There, you can learn to fly them properly.

And just get out there and have a go - that's the best bit.

But, before I have a go, I need to learn how to fly these things.

And the way it is done is so awesome.

It's called first person view, or FPV.

Racers wear wraparound goggles that receive a video link from the drone.

Basically, a drone's-eye view.

And this is what it looks like.

Unbelievable.

And, to show me how it all works,

Luke is one of the UK's best drone racers.

So I'm going to watch you flying as you fly?

If you're going to do what I know you can do,

-I'll need to sit down for this.

-All right.

OK, Grandad's ready.

'So I've tuned into Luke's feed, and he is fast.'

Oh, my goodness. That is insane.

It's like watching a really cool computer game.

Oh, mate, mate, mate! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

So can you talk me through what I'm seeing here,

apart from my life flashing before my eyes?

You're seeing me going through gates at about a metre off the ground...

-Yeah?

-..and probably around 40mph speeds. I can go faster.

But I'm going to have to come in and land now, cos my battery's out.

That's fine by me.

Your battery might be out - my stomach's gone.

Cor, that was phenomenal.

Now it's my turn to give it a go.

What could possibly go wrong?

MUSIC: Robot Rock by Daft Punk

Nice. Push forward gently.

-See, as long as you keep moving forward, it's a lot easier.

-OK.

-It goes up really high, really quick, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-So now you should be able to see us.

-Oh, this is weird.

It actually makes you feel a bit dizzy.

Oh, that was weird. I just made myself feel really sick.

It's hard, cos you've got no...

-concept at all of where you are.

-Yeah.

Pfft!

'This is really tough.

'It does actually take a lot of practice to crack this technique.

'I'm struggling to keep the drone under control,

'let alone go around the course.

'Whoops.'

-I think I'm probably going to be better if I fly without FPV.

-Yeah.

I do feel a bit seasick. It's weird. It's really strange.

But fun. I mean, so much fun to use.

You've got to try it, you've got to give it a go.

So, my challenge.

How many laps can Luke complete in the time it takes me to do one?

The course is made up of four gates, and has two tight bends.

Up for the challenge, some of Britain's best racers -

Adam, Luke, Lewis

and me, minus the goggles.

Bring it on.

OK, here we go, bringing drone racing to the masses...

in three, two, one.

Go!

Luke and Adam fly off the start, and leave me behind.

But there's a problem for Lewis. MOTORS STRUGGLE

Wipe-out!

I'm just... I'm just going for a fly over that side for now.

'Even without the goggles, it's not going to plan.

'Oh, the sun's come out!

'Luke is absolutely flying.

'I'm struggling to go under the first gate,

'and he's already done a lap.'

Go on, Luke. I'm with you, buddy.

'Aw, look, a tractor.

'Oh, I can see my house!

'Back to the real race, and Luke is clocking up the laps.

'And so is Adam.

'But then this happens...

'Adam is out.

'Let's see that again.

'Oh-ho, unlucky!

'That just leaves me and Luke left in it.

'All right, show-off! Luke's even doing flips now.'

Barney, have you done a lap yet?

I'm just on my way round, yeah.

'This is it, the final bend.

'Luke is so fast, going under every single gate...

'..and here comes Barney, finally landing.'

He finally completes his lap!

It took me 20 minutes.

Luke did 12 laps in the time it took me to do one.

But that's why we've got a champion on our hands.

So there you have it - drone racing. It was fast, it was cool.

Luke did 12 laps, I did one.

That doesn't matter, it's all about the practice.

In fact, do you mind? Can I just borrow your...

your winning drone there, Luke? Thank you.

Just going to have one more go. Well, two more. Two more goes.

I just have three, um...

four more goes on it, just...

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