Maverick Autonomous Vehicle Research Center
The University of Texas at Arlington is expanding its research and innovation capabilities by building a state-of-the-art outdoor netted drone facility. The Maverick Autonomous Vehicle Research Center, also knows as MAVRC, will be located at the UT Arlington Research Institute (UTARI) in Fort Worth, with a planned completion date of September 2025. This netted facility will allow for safe outdoor testing of advanced autonomous air vehicles while meeting all FAA regulations.
Unmanned Vehicle Research
- Security and Surveillance: The center can be used to develop and test drones for security applications, such as perimeter surveillance, crowd monitoring, and threat detection.
- Counter UAS: The center can be used to test systems designed to detect, track, and counter drones for security and defense of sensitive areas.
- Agricultural Research: Drones can be tested for precision agriculture applications, such as crop monitoring, pest detection, and soil analysis, to improve farming efficiency and sustainability.
- Environmental Monitoring and Data Collection: Researchers can deploy drones to monitor environmental conditions, collect data on air quality, and study wildlife habitats without disturbing the ecosystem.
- Urban Planning and Infrastructure Inspection: The facility can support research on using drones for urban planning, including traffic monitoring, infrastructure inspection, and maintenance of public utilities.
Facility Use Cases
- Autonomous Drone Testing and Development: The facility can be used to test and develop new autonomous drone technologies, including navigation algorithms, obstacle avoidance systems, and payload delivery mechanisms.
- Disaster Response Training: The facility can simulate disaster scenarios where drones are used for search and rescue operations, damage assessment, and delivery of emergency supplies.
- Educational Programs and Workshops: The facility can host educational programs, workshops, and training sessions for students, researchers, and industry professionals to learn about the latest advancements in drone technology and autonomous systems.
Facility Details
- Dimensions of 120’x150’x40’
- 26 Vicon motion capture cameras to localize vehicles, objects for control and validation of algorithms
- Lighting for nighttime use
- Wireless internet coverage
- 720-sqft control/observation center
- Support and training available from UTARI researchers and staff
Steering Committee
- Dr. Eileen Clements, Interim Executive Director and Research Director
- Dr. Nick Gans, Head of UTARI’s Automation and Intelligent Systems Division and Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
- Dr. Yan Wan, Distinguished University Professor, Electrical Engineering
- Dr. Kamesh Subbarao, Professor and Director of the Aerospace Systems Laboratory (ASL), Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Dr. Gautam Das, Associate Dean for Research and Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
- Cody Lundberg, Research Engineer II