Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Meet the 15-Year-Old Prodigy Dominating Drone Fight Club (Video)

Welcome to the Game of Drones.

Vjeran Pavic / Re/code

Kyle Ettinger is one of the most feared pilots in the emerging world of drone combat — despite being half the age of most of his rivals.

The 15-year-old picked up his first quadcopter a little more than two years ago, but quickly discovered a passion for battle at a drone fight club that stages regular matches across the San Francisco Bay Area. The tournaments are organized by the drone sporting companies Aerial Sports League and Game of Drones, which now sponsors Ettinger.

He has worked with his father, Silicon Valley engineer Gary Ettinger, to design and construct a series of drones customized for combat. The growing fleet now takes up the better part of the family’s Cupertino, Calif., garage.

In late spring, the Ettingers arrived at Maker Faire in San Mateo, Calif., to compete in the league’s biggest tournament to date, equipped with one of their latest designs. The “Carbon Crasher” is surrounded by a sphere of carbon fiber rods to protect its propellers and equipped with a hook designed to flip competitors out of control.

How did Kyle and Carbon Crasher perform in some 20 rounds of battles that weekend? Find out in the video above.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

See More:

More in Technology

Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady
Future Perfect
Some deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapySome deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapy
Future Perfect

A medical field that almost died is quietly fixing one disease at a time.

By Bryan Walsh