Is it better out than in?

Fast and furious

Every day, your gut generates a
whopping 20 litres or more of gas.
But most of this is not destined to
become flatus: almost all of it is either Dave Stock rides shotgun in the
recycled by the bacteria in your colon
or absorbed into your body and adrenaline-fuelled world of drone racing
exhaled in your breath.
For the bit that remains, there
is evidence that smelly hydrogen
sulphide prevents inflammation of

“Joseph Pojul made a

B
EEP, beep, beep! And we’re off. I’m drone racing championships. They are
lifted into the air, vertically at flying radio-controlled multicopters –
career entertaining first, then levelling off as a huge small drones with four, six or even eight
theatregoers with forward thrust kicks in. My stomach rotors – fitted with cameras that beam
lurches as we hit 70 kilometres per hour video from the drone's perspective
his fartistry” on the approach to the first bend. Taking directly to pilots’ and spectators'
a tight line through the curve, we’re headsets. The first-person view (FPV)
the gut lining, maybe reducing your thrown into a hard left, turning on the creates the sensation of hurtling
risk of bowel disease and cancer. So spot. Then we’re into the next straight, around the course in mid-air yourself.
perhaps it might actually be good to accelerating again. But at 80 km/h, Until recently, FPV drone racing was
hold that fart in. Gibson is sceptical, disaster strikes. Banking into another little more than a niche hobby. But
however. “Hydrogen sulphide is as turn I'm suddenly spinning so fast I’m more and more people around the globe
toxic as cyanide,” he says. “Get rid of it.” nauseous. The ground hurtles towards are getting involved – soon you’ll even
me. Everything goes black. be seeing it on TV. Welcome to one of
I take off the goggles. But this out- the fastest-growing sports in the world.
What’s to be done? of-body experience was no virtual In Grantham, the pilots twist, jerk
Well, there are products that contain reality game. I’m in a damp field near and grimace as their drones perform
the same enzymes used by the bacteria Grantham, UK, riding shotgun with 32 acrobatics. Their faces contort as they
in your colon. Take one with your pilots taking part in the first national will their craft to go faster and squeeze
festive lunch and it will get to work
straight away, breaking down the
complex carbohydrates into simpler
sugars that are more easily digested in
the small intestine.
If it’s not wind but the nasty niffs
that bother you, Levitt has found
that bismuth can help, and there are
stomach-remedy products available
that contain it. However, a daily dose
is not recommended because they can
irritate the gut. And stay away from
those charcoal knickers advertised
on international flights: for all their
promise, they’re full of hot air.
In any case, the experts agree that for
most of us, flatus is nothing to worry
about – a “blessing in disguise” that
indicates you have healthy gut bacteria.
Besides, is there a better butt for a joke
than a fart? n
dave stock

Kate Douglas trumps all

60 | NewScientist | 19/26 December 2015

dave stock
through the smallest gap. They wince
when they fail. “Leonardo da Vinci
had a dream of flying,” says Derek
Callander, a racer from Scotland. “He’d
have been an FPV-er without a doubt.”
It is hard to say exactly when FPV
drone racing began, but I meet few
pilots who have been flying for more
than a year. Among the racers at the UK
championship are engineers, product
designers, software developers and a
gravedigger. Only two are professional
drone pilots. One flies drones for
Cyberhawk, a company that carries out
inspections of oil rigs. The other works
for ImiTec, a University of Bristol spin-
off that specialises in the detection of
radiation in the environment.
What is clear is how quickly the sport
Drone DIY
First-person view drone racing appeals to
many people because it’s inexpensive, says
UK champion James Bowles. “FPV is the first
real high-performance competitive sport
that is affordable enough for anyone to
enter and win with a small budget.”
You can buy a racing drone that's ready
to fly for around £150. But many prefer to
put one together from scratch. This is more
expensive, but lets you pick and choose
the best components for your budget. As
crashes are common, knowing a motor
from a rotor will also help when it comes
to making between-race repairs.
Racers also constantly tweak their
craft to squeeze out every last drop of
performance. For example, fitting stronger
and lighter components, installing more
powerful motors and upgrading to lithium
dave stock
has grown. Since the first organised
event took place in the US last year, FPV
drone racing has become a fully fledged
sport, complete with sponsorship,
leagues and international competition.
At the US championships in
Sacramento, California, this summer,
thousands of spectators watched 120
pilots compete in a stadium for a
$25,000 prize. Many more watched the
event live online and it was covered by
TV stations such as CBS and Fox News.
The UK is feeling the buzz too. The
country now has more racers and hosts
more events than any other country in
Europe, says Nigel Tomlinson, organiser
of the UK championship. So far, this
buzz has been spread by social media.
Videos giving a drone’s-eye view get a
polymer batteries will make your drone
faster. A more rigid frame and stronger
propellers will give better control. But racers
will just as often have laptops open beside
their toolbox. Tinkering with the settings in
the drone's flight control software to match
its set-up and that day's race conditions can
put you on the podium.
At most events there are people around
to help you fix or tune up your aircraft. The
community of FPV enthusiasts is eager to
share its technical know-how and you can
often watch the fervent activity between
sessions – with every inch of space turned
into a workshop – to pick up tips.
If you want to get involved, it is best to
join a local club. There are hundreds popping
up around the world – check online for one
near you.
lot of attention. “I saw it on YouTube
and just wanted to do it,” says 16-year-
old UK competitor Luke Bannister.
Still, there are hurdles to overcome
before drone racing really takes off on
TV. For a start the feed from the drones
can be poor quality. “It’s like watching
an old VHS video,” says Daniel Rose,
another UK racer. And with the drones
about the size of a lunch box, filming
them as they whizz around a course
presents another challenge. But Scot
Refsland, who organised the US
championships is undeterred: “Major
US broadcasters are interested in this
and we are in discussions to look at the
technical issues of filming a drone.”
Back in Grantham, a crowd has
gathered. Some wear goggles, others
are glued to a large screen that shows
feeds from each of the four drones
racing side by side. “I was curious to
see what all the fuss was about,” says
one. “They don’t half go fast.”
After a day of racing, the top four
pilots meet in the final. Not only is the
UK championship title up for grabs,
but the best three will qualify for the
world finals in Hawaii next year.
Only one completes the course. The
favourite, Bannister, crashes on the first
lap and two others tumble out of the
air soon after. James Bowles becomes
the first UK champion. “Who’d have
thought – from your back garden to
the world, and in such a short time,” his
friend cries. The same could be said of
the sport. “If this can happen in just
eight months, imagine what can
happen in five years,” says Tomlinson. n
Dave Stock is still buzzing
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