Estonian startup reaches Anduril's $500K drone race finals with one-camera autonomy
What's the deal? Tallinn drone-autonomy startup RemānguysDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has qualified for the finals of the AI Grand Prix, the autonomous drone race run by Anduril Industries and the Drone Champions League. Its software navigates using a single camera, with no GPS or LiDAR.
How it works: Every team races the same drone, built by Neros Technologies, with no human pilot and no hardware changes allowed. That leaves software as the only differentiator. More than 3,000 teams entered.
The results: Remānguys placed ninth in the physical qualifier in Costa Mesa, California, in September, after finishing tenth in the second virtual round. The company says its camera-based orientation estimates stayed within 1.6 degrees of the flight controller's own readings.
Why it matters: Navigation that works without satellite signals matters most where GPS is unavailable or unreliable — a growing priority in defence and commercial markets. "Our drone sees the world through one camera," chief technology officer Jan Sechovec said.
Who's behind it: Founded in April 2025, Remānguys runs on a three-person team working between Tallinn and Prague. It includes Sechovec's 16-year-old son, Jan Sechovec Jr., who flies drones and writes code. CSGDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Excalibur International are backing the team for the finals.
What comes next: Racing isn't the endgame. The company plans to release the SILM N6, an AI flight controller that puts its autonomy software onto a single board, in 2027. It also offers simulation tools and remote drone operations over the internet.
Why now? When Anduril launched the competition in January, it put up a US$500,000 prize pool and a fast track into its hiring process for the top scorer. The finals run from December 7 to 11, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio.
What could go wrong? A race course is a controlled environment. "Holds up outside the simulator," chief executive officer Štěpán Kaiser said of the California results — but strong racing performance doesn't prove the software is ready for complex real-world operations.
The signal: GPS-denied navigation is drawing growing defence and commercial interest, with recent moves from Elsight and ANELLO Photonics in resilient positioning. Remānguys' finish offers a credible test of its vision-only approach in a crowded, strategically important field — though the December finals and the 2027 flight controller are the more substantive milestones to watch.
Read more: dronenr.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
