A2RL Drone Challenge Debuts at UMEX Abu Dhabi 2026
Date: 21 - 22 January 2025
Location: Hall 10 in ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi (part of UMEX Abu Dhabi 2026)
Location: Hall 10 in ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi (part of UMEX Abu Dhabi 2026)
The A2RL Drone Challenge is a new showcase of autonomous aerial racing debuting at UMEX as part of A2RL’s expanding ecosystem of AI competitions. This challenge features fully autonomous drones flying on complex tracks at high speed, designed to evaluate how advanced AI systems perceive, plan, and respond in real-time. It pushes the boundaries of AI navigation, decision-making, and flight performance in dynamic environments.
At UMEX, the Drone Challenge becomes a dedicated platform for researchers, drone engineers, universities, and innovators to test the future of aerial autonomy. From robotics and mobility to logistics and AI-driven systems, the challenge bridges cutting-edge research with practical, real-world applications.
Whether you're enhancing AI flight models or entering competitive autonomous racing for the first time, A2RL at UMEX invites you to create, compete, and explore what comes next.
A2RL Drones Season 2 Takes Flight at UMEX Abu Dhabi 2026
The A2RL Drone Challenge returns for Season 2 at UMEX Abu Dhabi, bringing the world’s top AI teams together to push the limits of autonomous flight. Following last year’s historic moment when an AI-powered drone beat a world champion human pilot, Season 2 raises the stakes with new challenges, faster algorithms and latest innovations in aerial autonomy on full display.
21 - 22 January 2026
Hall 10 in ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi (part of UMEX Abu Dhabi 2026)
EVENT SCHEDULE
| Time | Activities |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, 21 January | |
| 09:00 | AI Speed Challenge – Teams Session 1 |
| 10:00 | AI Speed Challenge – Teams Session 2 |
| 11:30 | FPV Race Qualifiers |
| 12:45 | Human vs AI Challenge – Quarterfinals |
| 14:30 | Multi-Drone Challenge – Session 1 |
| Thursday, 22 January | |
| 09:00 | AI Speed Challenge – Teams Session 3 |
| 10:00 | AI Speed Challenge – Teams Session 4 |
| 11:15 | FPV Race Practices |
| 12:15 | Human vs AI Challenge – Semifinals & Finals |
| 14:45 | Multi-Drone Challenge – Session 2 |
| 15:00 | Awards Ceremony |
DISCLAIMER: All timings and activities are subject to change
A2RL
Summit 3.0
Join us at A2RL Summit 3.0, where global innovators unite to discuss the future of AI, autonomy, and intelligent mobility from racing breakthroughs to real-world systems shaping tomorrow’s cities.
The A2RL Summit will feature key panel sessions including:
- Autonomous Racing: The Testbed for Real-World Systems.
- The Simulation Advantage: Gaming for Robotics and Autonomy.
- Adoption Policies & Regulation in AI autonomous systems.
20 Jan 2026
“Future of Autonomy”
Stage in Hall 09 at UMEX Abu Dhabi 2026
Join us to become tomorrow's engineers, pilots, and innovators in drone technology!
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PAST
COMPETITION
In April 2025, Abu Dhabi hosted the inaugural A2RL Autonomous Drone Challenge, setting a global benchmark for AI-powered flight. Fourteen teams from leading universities, research labs, and startups competed across four advanced race formats including the world’s first AI-powered drone victory over a world-champion human pilot. With drones reaching speeds of up to 150 km/h and flying entirely on AI-driven vision and onboard computing, the competition pushed the boundaries of autonomous aerial racing and demonstrated the real-world potential of perception-based autonomy.
Alongside the challenge, the A2RL Drone STEM Program, delivered in collaboration with UNICEF, trained over 100 Emirati students across four locations, equipping them with future-ready skills in AI, robotics, and drone operations — empowering the next generation of innovators and strengthening the UAE’s growing leadership in autonomous systems and advanced air mobility.
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AI vs Human Challenge
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A2RL Summit