The State University of New York at Buffalo “SUNY University at Buffalo” Netted Drone Enclosure
Gorilla Netting installed a netted drone enclosure at The State University of New York at Buffalo, NY.
- Client
- University at Buffalo (SUNY)
- Location
- Buffalo, NY
- Typical cost for a project like this
- $220,000 to $330,000
Estimate for a project of similar size and scope. Cost varies with pole type (wood or steel), net height, and linear footage. Your quote is based on your site.
Project photos
Before, during, and after
Before
During
During
During
AfterAfterUniversity at Buffalo consultants first approached Gorilla Netting in early 2019. Over more than a year, Gorilla Netting worked with the consultants and SUNY University at Buffalo representatives to design, engineer, and install a netted drone enclosure for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) testing and research. The result is SOAR (Structure for Outdoor Autonomy Research), a 24,000 sq ft facility on the university's North Campus, adjacent to Crofts Hall, and the nation's third-largest outdoor enclosed drone-testing facility.
The challenge
What the program needed
Students and engineers needed to test drones outdoors, where Buffalo's unpredictable northern weather brings wind, rain, snow, and changing light that indoor spaces cannot replicate.
Strong gusts can push drones off their flight paths, precipitation threatens sensors and electrical components, and shifting light affects onboard cameras. The testing space had to contain every flight so that drones and nearby people stayed safe, even when something went wrong in the air.
What we built
The system we designed and installed
Gorilla Netting designed and built a netted drone enclosure measuring 200 ft long, 120 ft wide, and 86 ft high, slightly more than half an acre.
The system stands on staged steel poles and uses a little over 79,000 sq ft of 4 in treated knotted nylon netting, which keeps drones inside the testing zone while leaving them free to move through the full airspace.
AfterThe outcome
What it means for the researchers
The University at Buffalo has SOAR, a 200 ft by 120 ft by 86 ft netted drone enclosure built on staged steel poles with over 79,000 sq ft of 4 in treated knotted nylon netting, containing UAV flights for testing and research in real outdoor conditions.
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Ask about enclosure size, netting mesh, or what a build like the University at Buffalo's costs today.
1-800-274-1079- Design, engineering, and installation under one contract
- Steel, wood, or concrete poles set by our own crews
- Breakaway netting engineered for wind and snow load
Buffalo, NY