CU-ICAR to house Army autonomous vehicle research center.

U.S. Army autonomous vehicle research and an $18 million federal grant will drive the development of a Virtual Prototyping of Ground System Center at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research.

The center will serve as an impetus for research on how virtual prototyping can be used to develop modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles and robotic combat vehicles for joint manned and unmanned combat teams, according to a news release. Zoran Filipi, founding director of the Virtual Prototyping of Ground System Center, will lead more than 65 Clemson faculty from seven engineering departments in partnership with the U.S. Army Ground Vehicles Systems Center in the creation of virtual prototyping tools.

"The VIPR Center will be an essential part of a Ground Vehicle Modeling and Simulation Alliance that GVSC will rely on as it leads the U.S. Army in the integration of new capabilities into military ground vehicles," David Gorsich, chief scientist of U.S. GVSC, said in the release.

Research will revolve around digital engineering, next-generation propulsion and energy systems, as well as manned and unmanned teaming in off-road environments.

"For the last decade, we have diligently strengthened and expanded our capabilities to become the nationally-recognized institution we are today," Zoran Filipi...