Last week, I returned to Detroit following an amazing trip to Abu Dhabi for the first ever DriftX event. DriftX is an international exhibition showcasing the latest innovations in smart, autonomous, and sustainable urban mobility across air, land, and sea. Grounded was honored to be invited to such an exciting event, and we had countless fascinating conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, and intrigued consumers across the three days.
Whilst there, I was able to get a peak at cutting-edge companies covering just about every product category you can imagine, from flying Taxi’s to autonomous boats, drone racing championships to cars being driven remotely from the other side of the world, and even a new public transit offering that combined the best aspects of trams and busses - this was one of my personal favorites!
All of these interactions and observations fed into new and exciting ideas for how we can continue to evolve Grounded as a company as well as how we can keep creating innovative offerings in the outdoor recreation space. After a ride in this autonomous taxi, the thought of a fully autonomous RV experience in the future is particularly exciting - No more long and tiring drives through the night for me!
After DriftX I was even able to get myself into the grandstands of the Yas Marina Circuit to see the first ever Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League event, which was a real sight to behold. The grandstands were packed as we watched a variety of autonomous racing cars from teams all over the world navigating their way around track, and the crowd roared with excitement as former-F1 driver Danil Kvyat took part in a race to represent the humans in the humans vs computers showdown.
The event went late into the night, with all sorts of experiences going on aside from the on-track action, from sim-racing competitions (where I cemented myself as the fastest racer in Abu Dhabi) to an amazing concert, drone display, and fireworks show to end the night.
Oh, and I've posted a video on our Instagram ( @groundedrvs ) of my highlights of DriftX, including a big drone crash, so be sure to follow us there so you don't miss out!
See ya!
Nick Fitzpatrick
Co-Founder and Head of Design
Grounded
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