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China - A Jaguar XJ driven, by leading movie-stunt driver *Mark Higgins, took on one of the world’s best drone pilots in a unique ‘cat-and-mouse’ challenge.
Higgins and drone pilot and racer, JaeHong Li, used the challenge, filmed at the Zhuhai International Circuit in China, to highlight how technology is developing in both the automotive and unmanned aircraft sectors.
Drone vs Jaguar
Higgins, who is also a champion rally driver, said: "Drones are becoming increasingly integrated into society and they can do some amazing things these days.
"So when Jaguar offered up the XJ and all its technology to go up against one of the world’s top drone pilots, I jumped at the chance.
“The Jaguar XJ is designed for the luxury executive market, but it is still a dynamic drive and very capable in all environments. So this was an exciting challenge to use it in. It was certainly up to the chase, and we found some fun ways to evade the drone!”
Watch the challenge below:
The challenge
The event saw Higgins trying to shake off the drone through an industrialised zone containing shipping containers, wide tree-lined boulevards, pit garages and an underground car park. The XJ demonstrated agility and control with effortless performance during the challenge.
The tech
Technology is making waves in both the car and drone industries – with the drone pilot using autonomous circling and 360-degree camera searching and Higgins in the XJ, benefitting from electric power assisted steering that improves responsiveness and feedback as well systems that use sensors and four on board cameras.
Drone pilot JaeHong Li said: "Flying against the car gave us some interesting insight into how this kind of technology can be used for filming cars – and I think we’ve shown there’s some big potential for future movie car-chase sequences!”
"Technology in drones is developing fast, and like cars, the latest trend is for pilot assistance. The DJI Inspire 1 drone we used is more about precision and poise than outright pace. It has the best-in-class, stabilized Zenmuse X5 aerial camera aboard, as it is mainly used for filming, and was perfect for this challenge."
*Mark Higgins was a stunt driver in recent Hollywood blockbuster Spectre.
