University of Toronto

Pioneering the Future of Autonomous Drone Racing.

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Leading the Race in Autonomous Drone Innovation.

At ADR, we are a team of innovative engineers and AI enthusiasts dedicated to developing cutting-edge autonomous drones, aiming to lead the next evolution in drone racing and autonomous flight technology.

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We deliver cutting-edge solutions to push the limits of autonomous drone racing performance.

Direct Sparse Odometry at High Speed

We optimize Direct Sparse Odometry (DSO) for high-speed drone racing, enhancing performance and accuracy for precise navigation in dynamic environments.

ADR Wins Best Paper Award on UAVs at ICRA

Our paper “Time-Optimal Gate-Traversing Planner for Autonomous Drone Racing” won the prestigious Best Paper Award in ICRA 2024, held in Yokohama, Japan.

Upcoming Competition

We’re thrilled to compete in the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) in April 2025, one of the world’s premier extreme autonomous racing competitions. In this high-stakes event, 20 teams from around the globe will push the boundaries of AI-driven drone technology as they race for a $1 million prize.

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Total Solution in one

We offer a wide range of innovative solutions in autonomous drone racing, pushing the limits of technology and performance to achieve excellence.

AI & Control

Developing advanced algorithms to ensure precise control and autonomous decision-making, enabling drones to navigate complex environments at high speeds.

Localization

Focusing on real-time positioning, this team ensures drones accurately track their location and orientation to navigate through challenging race courses with precision.

Amazing Team

ADR is a cutting-edge robotics team at the University of Toronto, driving innovation in autonomous drone racing with AI-powered UAVs designed to outperform human pilots.

Team Supervisor

Prof. Hugh H.-T. Liu

Team Supervisor

Prof. Angela Schoellig

Team Principal

Chao Qin, PhD

Competition Lead

Wenda Zhao, PhD

Competition Lead

Ivan Lin, BASc

AI Research Lead

Avid Eslami, BASc

Competition Lead

Harry Chen, BASc

Competition Lead

Joshua Choi, BASc

Localization Research Lead

Frank Shi, BASc

Marketing Lead

Mike Zhang, BASc

See How we work!

Our mission is to create the fastest, safest, and most intelligent autonomous drones that surpass human pilots in complex environments, advancing AI-driven UAV technology.

Latest News & Articles

Don’t just take our word for it—our results speak for themselves. Want to see how our drones perform? Check out what others are saying about us!

ADR November 27, 2024

ADR Advances in Abu Dhabi: Qualifying for the Autonomous Drone Challenge

Over the past two weeks, the ADR competition team has taken a major step forward, participating in the 3rd round of qualifications for the A2RL x DCL - Drone Champions League Autonomous Drone Challenge in Abu Dhabi!

ADR August 15, 2024

Simulation Development

In July we began modifying a simulator - FlightGoggles developed by MIT. The simulator utilized the Unity engine with ray tracing, which enabled rendering of photorealistic images that can be used for perception algorithm development. Our modification allowed us to add custom gates to the scene, as well as a thirst-person view mode that can visualize light trail of the drone flying through a trajectory.

ADR August 13, 2024

Autonomous Drone Racing in the UTIAS MarsDome

The ADR team is thrilled to announce our latest milestone: the successful autonomous drone racing within the UTIAS MarsDome. As we gear up for the world’s largest autonomous drone racing competition in April 2025 in Abu Dhabi, the MarsDome will serve as our primary training ground. Here, we will refine our strategies, test new innovations, and continue to push the limits of what’s possible in autonomous drone racing.