Southern California university to build drone testing facility

The University of California, San Diego is building an outdoor facility for test flying unmanned aerial vehicles, as part of an overall plan to expand research in robotic systems.

The Union-Tribune reports Monday that the so-called aerodrome will be a net cage 30 feet (nine meters) high and roughly 50 feet (15 meters) long and wide.

Funding will come from a $200,000 grant by Qualcomm. The work could benefit the company, which develops computer chips that are used in drones and some driverless vehicles.

The aerodrome will be similar to a facility being built at the University of Michigan, a leader in drone research.

The newspaper says UC San Diego recently announced that it will begin testing driverless vehicles on university roads next year, using golf carts to deliver packages.