Flying High: Gorilla Netting Delivers A Customized Netted Drone Enclosure At University Of Florida

Drones have to be tested outdoors. Wind gusts can knock them off their flight path, rain can interfere with sensors and electrical components, and changing light affects cameras and other onboard optics. None of that can be replicated indoors.

The university needed a place where students and engineers could fly in those real conditions while keeping the drones, and the people nearby, safe from out-of-bounds flights and malfunctions. The structure also had to stand up to Florida's heat and occasional intense storms.

Gorilla Netting built a 240 ft long, 60 ft wide, 30 ft high open-air netted enclosure. It uses treated knotted nylon netting with utility-grade hardware, hung from 30 ft treated hardwood poles sourced from sustainable tree farms and treated for durability.

The netting surrounds the full test area, so drones can fly freely inside the designated airspace while any unexpected maneuver or malfunction stays contained. The facility includes a 5G-enabled enclosed environment for classes working with autonomous air and ground robotic systems.