The new research space located in east Fort Worth is dedicated to researching autonomous technology such as drones.
FORT WORTH, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
The University of Texas at Arlington, on Sept. 16, opened its $2.3 million Maverick Autonomous Vehicle Research Center in east Fort Worth, the latest addition to what has already become a major aerospace hub.
The new research facility, located at the UTA Research Institute at 7300 Jack Newell Blvd. S., is dedicated to researching and advancing innovation and safety around autonomous technology, including drones.
Eileen Clements, director of research at the institute, said the netted structure for testing is outfitted with 28 motion capture cameras that allow researchers to understand what vehicles are doing and monitor performance. The data collected allows researchers to evaluate if technology is performing a certain task as expected.
Fort Worth has emerged as a hub for autonomous vehicle testing — Gov. Greg Abbott dubbed the city as the “Aviation and Defense Capital of Texas” earlier this year. Companies test everything from drone delivery to autonomous trucks at Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone in north Fort Worth. The Texas A&M University System’s new Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies will host its primary lab in the innovation building on the new Fort Worth campus.