BCI technology has been used in the past to control everything from novelty toys to artificial limbs for paraplegics, and researchers at the University of Minnesota were actually the first to show off a mind-controlled drone in 2013. But as TechCrunch points out, this brain-controlled drone competition is another first.

The low speeds and short, 10-yard indoor course might look a little tame compared to speeding through the woods in first person, but the emphasis here is on the control scheme rather thrill of the event. During the "race," 16 pilots were rigged up with special electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets that translate their brainwaves into specific commands controlling a DJI Phantom. While these student-pilots look like they needed some intense concentration to get those quadcopters off the ground and moving forward, it's not much of a stretch to visualize the next generation of pilots using their minds to blast specialized drones through race courses across the globe.