Box 19162
Arlington, TX 76019-0162
Outdoor Drone Facility Takes Flight
UT Arlington is expanding its research and innovation capabilities by building a $2.3 million, state-of-the-art outdoor netted drone facility at the UTA Research Institute (UTARI) in Fort Worth. The Maverick Autonomous Vehicle Research Center (MAVRC) will be equipped with lighting, an advanced suite of cameras and other sensors, and an adjacent control/education building.
The facility is important for research in part because it will allow for testing in all weather conditions, which is necessary for Federal Aviation Administration compliance. MAVRC’s projected completion date is January 2025.
“Unmanned vehicles have phenomenal capabilities, but we must also consider how these ‘robots in the air’ talk to each other to avoid collisions and perform collaborative tasks,” says electrical engineering Professor Yan Wan, who spearheaded the project. “The new facility at UTARI will allow me, other researchers, and UTA students, plus local companies and stakeholders, to safely test and experiment with unmanned vehicles as our society speeds up its use of these technical marvels.”