University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) strengthens regional growth with plans for a new drone facility
Fort Worth, Texas – Establishing a futuristic, netted drone facility, slated for completion by January 2025, the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is ready to widen its frontiers in autonomous technology. Supported by a $2.3 million investment, this project is intended to significantly boost the university’s research capacity, especially in the growing field of unmanned vehicles.
Located inside the UTA Research Institute (UTARI) in Fort Worth, the Maverick Autonomous Vehicle Research Center (MAVRC) seeks to create a strong ecosystem combining government, business, education, and community projects. From drones used in package delivery and emergency response operations to driverless vehicles, these partnerships center on improving intelligent urban mobility systems.
The vice president for research and innovation at UTA, Kate C. Miller, underlined the strategic relevance of this center.
“MAVRC will significantly and positively impact UTA’s presence in the region by supporting the university-industry-government-community ecosystem focused on autonomous and intelligent urban mobility systems that can be used in everything from self-driving cars and home package delivery to military and emergency response tools,” Miller said in a press release.
Within its netted construction, the MAVRC facility will have a variety of high-tech tools like modern cameras, sensors, and regulated lighting to guarantee safe and efficient testing conditions consistent with Federal Aviation Administration criteria. Supporting research, education, and community outreach, an adjacent facility will act as both a control center and learning center.
Though a smaller indoor drone facility already exists, Eileen D. Clements, interim executive director of UTARI, pointed out that the new larger outdoor facility will significantly improve their research capacity.
“This is a perfect addition to UTARI, where we specialize in applying cutting-edge technologies to real-world engineering problems,” said Clements.
This advancement fits perfectly UTA’s larger plan for leading in autonomous vehicle technologies. Head of UTARI’s Autonomous Systems Laboratory Frank Lewis and Nicholas Gans are driving study on networked autonomous systems and control strategies. At the same time, top electrical engineering professor Yan Wan is developing airborne mobility and emergency response coordination.
“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,” said Dr. Wan. “The new facility at UTARI will allow myself, 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.”
UTA has recently unveiled plans for UTA West, a new campus project in western Fort Worth meant to support economic development and meet the educational needs of one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, thus strengthening its dedication to regional growth. Slated to greet students by autumn 2028, UTA West emphasizes the university’s long-term dedication to North Texas community and technology development.
