:00:00. > :00:35.a thing of constant fascination and innovation.
:00:36. > :00:39.So much so, last year the government of the United Arab Emirates held
:00:40. > :00:48.a contest with a massive $1 million prize up for grabs.
:00:49. > :00:51.Teams from around the world were invited to take part to demonstrate
:00:52. > :00:55.how their unmanned, aerial vehicles could improve lives.
:00:56. > :01:00.We saw everything from fog dissipation, to window cleaning.
:01:01. > :01:04.Not content with last year's event, Dubai is aiming to be the centre
:01:05. > :01:13.We have been back to the UAE to meet the pilots set to turn drone
:01:14. > :01:22.racing professional and establish themselves as world champions.
:01:23. > :01:31.32 of the best drone pilots from across the globe have gathered
:01:32. > :01:36.in Dubai for the very first World Drone Prix.
:01:37. > :01:39.At stake, a huge prize pot of $1 million, with the first prize
:01:40. > :01:50.They will be flying custom quad copters around this
:01:51. > :02:02.Some of the track's spines can mechanically move.
:02:03. > :02:04.Don't worry, they won't move during racing
:02:05. > :02:08.because this would make an already difficult track almost impossible.
:02:09. > :02:17.You advise what the track should be like, the circuit itself.
:02:18. > :02:20.What did you tell them would be a good idea to introduce to
:02:21. > :02:24.In the previous races, we have only done this on the ground,
:02:25. > :02:27.we wanted to introduce elevation and get it up off the ground
:02:28. > :02:33.So we introduced the tower, and they have to go up and over
:02:34. > :02:37.and it becomes like a roller-coaster.
:02:38. > :02:41.The pilots must complete 12 laps of the track, making at least one pit
:02:42. > :02:47.We are in the crew's area, backstage, if you like, at the race.
:02:48. > :02:58.We were just flying in a field, now we are in the top 32 of the world.
:02:59. > :03:06.The competition have come in to help them set up their rig.
:03:07. > :03:09.This is a drone racing team at work, relaxing just before the race.
:03:10. > :03:15.Is this the pit crew technician doing the really hard work?
:03:16. > :03:24.Those soldering irons will be busy, because the drones are fitted with
:03:25. > :03:33.a host of electronics, including GPS tracking and forward-facing cameras.
:03:34. > :03:38.Sundown, and the semifinals are about to begin.
:03:39. > :03:40.Last-minute tweaks have been made, and fighting talk rings out
:03:41. > :03:43.Speed is my game, so we will do well.
:03:44. > :03:57.Navigators, pilots and pit crews take their positions.
:03:58. > :04:01.The sun is going down and the race gets off in earnest.
:04:02. > :04:12.Time for me to get in on the action as well.
:04:13. > :04:16.When I put these goggles on, I can see what the pilots can see
:04:17. > :04:22.Put them on, I get the pilot's eye view of the track.
:04:23. > :04:28.All I can see from here is in standard definition.
:04:29. > :04:32.They tried to do it in HD, but there was too much latency
:04:33. > :04:35.and the pilots have to see exactly what is happening.
:04:36. > :04:55.Confidence is diminished, game faces are on, and now it is
:04:56. > :04:59.How do you feel going into this race?
:05:00. > :05:28.The video wasn't good, but it looked perfectly clean.
:05:29. > :05:33.When you lose, you will blame something other than yourself.
:05:34. > :05:36.There is a lot on the line, that's for sure.
:05:37. > :05:39.So, the final race has been run, but there is some confusion
:05:40. > :05:45.Ladies and gentlemen, to the track race award.
:05:46. > :06:01.It is a sweet victory for the 15-year-old British pilot,
:06:02. > :06:03.Luke Bannister, as he scoops the whopping ?250,000
:06:04. > :06:11.Couldn't have done it without my team.
:06:12. > :06:22.As fast as these things are, keeping them up in the air
:06:23. > :06:32.Pilots can get through 40 batteries in a day.
:06:33. > :06:36.You generally only get about 15 to 20 minutes' life out of one battery.
:06:37. > :06:39.But a UK company is working on a way of increasing flight time
:06:40. > :06:46.And Jane has had an exclusive look at its first flight.
:06:47. > :06:49.I have been flying drones for a few years now on Click.
:06:50. > :06:58.Behind the scenes, we are always aware of how little
:06:59. > :07:01.time we have to get the perfect shot before we run out of batteries.
:07:02. > :07:04.Now there could be a natural solution to substantially
:07:05. > :07:10.Intelligent Energy in Loughborough have been experimenting with
:07:11. > :07:20.We have been given exclusive access to their first test flight.
:07:21. > :07:23.It's the first time we've seen a drone flying with
:07:24. > :07:35.It is attached to a drone and they have modified.
:07:36. > :07:37.The fuel cell and fuel weighs about 1.6 kilograms.
:07:38. > :07:40.This drone can fly for up to two hours on one fuel
:07:41. > :07:43.cell, around six times longer than the average with a normal battery.
:07:44. > :07:46.Refuelling with compressed hydrogen is faster, taking just a few minutes
:07:47. > :07:50.Intelligent Energy have been testing this technology since 2001,
:07:51. > :07:56.but have focused on drone flights for the last 18 months.
:07:57. > :08:03.This is the fuel tank, so this is where the hydrogen is.
:08:04. > :08:08.We have a fan that takes a small amount of heat away
:08:09. > :08:13.You combine the hydrogen with oxygen from the air with these fans
:08:14. > :08:21.Well, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe,
:08:22. > :08:31.This is where the company sees its trend is where the company sees its
:08:32. > :08:36.trends being most useful. -- drones. In the industrial industry,
:08:37. > :08:38.we are looking at agriculture, oil and gas, mapping, forestry
:08:39. > :08:41.and any other industries that needs We will get into the consumer space,
:08:42. > :08:45.but initially our target market is Increasing flight time to
:08:46. > :08:50.an hour or even up to two hours, The company expects to have fuel
:08:51. > :08:55.cells ready But we will have to wait a bit
:08:56. > :09:04.longer for a consumer version. I am learning to programme
:09:05. > :09:11.the new chip on the block. The data is going
:09:12. > :09:15.from the computer... The BBC has finally unleashed
:09:16. > :09:17.the Micro Bit. Announced for July, the tiny
:09:18. > :09:22.programmable computer is being given free to a million schoolkids
:09:23. > :09:26.in the UK, and hope it will inspire In just a few minutes,
:09:27. > :09:38.it is possible to create short programmes that turn the Microbit
:09:39. > :09:41.into a name badge, We are learning how to turn it into
:09:42. > :09:46.a dice, so when you shake it you get Problem is, it's giving
:09:47. > :09:57.a number between zero and six. The cool thing is, everyone is
:09:58. > :10:00.already trying to solve that The Microbit is not a fully fledged
:10:01. > :10:09.computer like a Raspberry Pi, it is more like an introduction to the
:10:10. > :10:12.idea of programming, more simple. But it does have an LED display,
:10:13. > :10:15.thermometer, motion censors, But even
:10:16. > :10:26.if it's not directly competing with other budget computers,
:10:27. > :10:28.it has arrived later than promised, which may make it difficult to
:10:29. > :10:31.incorporate into lesson plans for It is using everything I have learnt
:10:32. > :10:39.at school, but it is opening me up to a lot more opportunities,
:10:40. > :10:49.such as allowing me to use the LED. You can take it anywhere with you
:10:50. > :10:54.as well. Let's hope it does prove
:10:55. > :11:03.as inspirational as the BBC Micro and the whole home computer
:11:04. > :11:05.revolution of the 1980s. That is exactly why I got
:11:06. > :11:10.into this lark in the first place. That is all we have got time
:11:11. > :11:15.for this week. Thanks for watching,
:11:16. > :11:20.and we will see you soon.