bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
WHOLE SYSTEM TRADES ANALYSIS TOOL FOR THE HIGH MOBILITY MULTIPURPOSE
WHEELED VEHICLE
Authors: Ballantine Marissa , Dessanti Alex , Pierson Adam , Ho Yang , Dinunzio Michael , Cardinale Tera , Costa Laura , Hopkinson Daniel , Pykor Nathan
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The Product Director Light Tactical Vehicles (PdD LTV) is responsible for the
Army’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) family of
vehicles. Due to the large number of variants found throughout the Army plus the
continued need for their service into the foreseeable future, the Army has
conducted extensive depot recapitalization programs and continues to explore
modernization options to sustain enduring requirements. Because competing
performance requirements exist and budget constraints demand careful design
choices, PdD LTV commissioned the development of a Whole System Trades Analysis
Tool (WSTAT) specified for the HMMWV family of vehicles to help gain an analytic
understanding of the key performance, cost, risk, and growth tradeoffs inherent
within their potential designs. The WSTAT provides a holistic framework for
modeling and understanding these tradeoffs. In this paper, the overarching WSTAT
methodology is presented along with the specific implementation for HMMWV.
Several example results are then provided to demonstrate the types of decision
support enabled by the WSTAT capability.

Citation: M. Ballantine, A. Dessanti, A. Pierson, Y. Ho, M.
Dinunzio, T. Cardinale, L. Costa, D. Hopkinson, N. Pykor, “Whole System
Trades Analysis Tool for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled
Vehicle”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and
Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 11-13, 2020.
EXPLORING THE REQUIREMENTS AND CAPABILITIES OF OFF-ROAD SIMULATION IN MAVS AND GAZEBO
Authors: Moore Marc N. , Ray Payton A. , Goodin Christopher , Hudson Christopher R. , Doude Matthew , Carruth Daniel W. , Ewing Mark R. , Towne Brent W.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Simulation is critical to the development of effective unmanned ground vehicles
(UGVs). Simulation provides the ability to test virtual hardware and software
systems in conditions that may be difficult to recreate physically. An important
benefit of simulation is that it grants researchers access to simulated
hardware, such as sensors and vehicles, that might not be available otherwise.
To successfully simulate both hardware and software systems, it is essential to
acknowledge the needs and requirements of the simulation platform. In this
paper, we investigate two simulation environments being used at Mississippi
State University to model and simulate UGVs: the Mississippi State University
Autonomous Vehicle Simulator (MAVS) and Gazebo.

Within this paper we investigate the specific modeling needs for the Clearpath
Robotics Warthog UGV in both simulation environments. We found that Gazebo has
more options for vehicle and robot customization. However, Gazebo requires more
up-front and explicit information to simulate even basic vehicles. MAVS, in
contrast, is a platform that uses pre-defined vehicle and tire models that
reduce the informational requirements and better supports rapid prototyping of
four-wheeled ground vehicles. The narrower scope of MAVS limits its ability to
model complex robots, but it excels at vehicle-terrain interaction and sensor
simulation. It is fundamental to understand what level of granularity each
system offers regarding simulation creation (i.e., how customizable the vehicle,
physics, and environment is) to utilize each simulation environment
effectively.

Citation: Moore, M.N., Ray, P.A., Hudson, C.R., Goodin, C., Doude,
M., Carruth, D.W., Ewing, M.R., & Towne, B.W. (2020). “Exploring the
Requirements and Capabilities of Off-Road Simulation in MAVS and
Gazebo”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
13-15, 2020.
GVSETS 2020 Paper: Multiple Crew Station Xecutor (MCSX)
Authors: Sopel Shane G. , Russell Mark G. , Zwick Keith E.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Technology and innovation are growing at a rapid rate, placing increasing demands on
military vehicles. With these advances come additional burdens to our ground vehicle
systems due to escalating threats in areas such as situational awareness and
cybersecurity. In order to deal with this ever-changing threat environment, additional
computing resources are needed. Given the additional costs of high performance hardware,
harnesses, software development, sustainment, and licensing fees, consolidation of
resources can be essential in reducing costs. Leveraging today's latest
technologies in distributed systems, advanced microprocessors, and accelerated graphics,
this research proposes a solution to consolidate multiple crew stations into a single
processing resource. Not only are these computing resources more powerful, they come at a
more affordable price when configured properly.

Citation: S. Sopel, M. Russell, K. Zwick, “Multiple Crew Station
Xecutor (MCSX)”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and
Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 11-13, 2020.
Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for Anomaly Detection in Ground
Vehicle Network Traffic
Authors: Thornton Adam , Mieners Brandon , Poole Donald , Russell Mark
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Variational Inference are applied in near
real-time to detect anomalies in ground vehicle network traffic for VICTORY
enabled networks. The technical approach, that utilizes the Natural Language
Processing (NLP) technique to detect potential malicious attacks and network
configuration issues, is described and the results of a proof of concept
implementation are provided.

Citation: A. Thornton, B. Meiners, D. Poole, M. Russell,
“Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for Anomaly Detection in Ground
Vehicle Network Traffic”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle
Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi,
MI, Aug. 11-13, 2019.
Cyberattack Detection and Bus Segmentation in Ground Vehicles
Authors: Elder Ryan , Westrick Courtney , Moldenhauer Peter
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper describes an approach to secure previously deployed vehicles by using
bus monitoring and segmentation to remove malicious messages from the CAN bus.
Modern automotive buses were designed for reliability rather than security. This
lack of security means that any node on the bus can transmit a message to any
other node and the receiver cannot verify the sender or that the message is
unaltered. The intrusion detection and prevention system seeks to solve that
issue by actively monitoring traffic on all connected busses, alerting an
operator when an error is detected and removing flagged messages from the bus.
The system will eventually be installed on an Interim Armored Vehicle (IAV)
Stryker.

Citation: R. Elder, C. Westrick, P. Moldenhauer,
“Cyberattack Detection and Bus Segmentation in Ground Vehicles”,
In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 11-13, 2020.
TRUST-BASED SYMBOLIC MOTION PLANNING FOR MULTI-ROBOT BOUNDING OVERWATCH
Authors: Zheng Huanfei , Smereka Jonathon M. , Mikulski Dariusz , Roth Stephanie , Wang Yue
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Multi-robot bounding overwatch requires timely coordination of robot team
members. Symbolic motion planning (SMP) can provide provably correct solutions
for robot motion planning with high-level temporal logic task requirements. This
paper aims to develop a framework for safe and reliable SMP of multi-robot
systems (MRS) to satisfy complex bounding overwatch tasks constrained by
temporal logics. A decentralized SMP framework is first presented, which
guarantees both correctness and parallel execution of the complex bounding
overwatch tasks by the MRS. A computational trust model is then constructed by
referring to the traversability and line of sight of robots in the terrain. The
trust model predicts the trustworthiness of each robot team’s potential
behavior in executing a task plan. The most trustworthy task and motion plan is
explored with a Dijkstra searching strategy to guarantee the reliability of MRS
bounding overwatch. A robot simulation is implemented in ROS Gazebo to
demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

Citation: H. Zheng, J. M. Smereka, D. Mikulski, S. Roth, Y. Wang,
“Trust-based Symbolic Motion Planning for Multi-robot Bounding
Overwatch”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
11-13, 2020.
An Open, ROS2, AGVRA-Based Autonomy Software Architecture for
Military Robotic and Autonomous Systems
Authors: Thomasmeyer William , John Jon St. , Martin Dave , Mattes Rich
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on a prototype project to develop and mature a common, open,
comprehensive, collaboratively developed, Government-owned, autonomy software
architecture for ground robotic and autonomous systems (RAS). The prototype
architecture, codenamed “SCION” promises the
flexibility needed by the both the Government and industry research,
development, testing, and engineering (RDT&E) communities to leverage
reusable software and more rapidly innovate new capabilities; while ensuring the
discipline and enabling the modularity required to develop RDT&E software
structured to meet the software safety, cybersecurity, upgradeability, and other
needs of RAS programs of record. Accordingly, program offices can adopt an
acquisition strategy that requires compatibility with the de facto, military RAS
standard, SCION architecture, while providing OEMs with baseline,
SCION-compatible, GFE software (e.g. a future version of RTK). Such a strategy
encourages optimal innovation, increases competition, provides for greater IP
flexibility, and incentivizes OEMs to propose solutions based on the GFE
software, while ensuring that the responsibility and accountability for the
software remain with the OEM.

Citation: A. William Thomasmeyer, Jon St. John, Dave Martin, Rich
Mattes, “An Open, ROS2, AGVRA-Based Autonomy Software Architecture for
Military Robotic and Autonomous Systems”, In Proceedings of the
Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 11-13, 2020.
FLASH® 600 ULTRA HIGH HARD: ROOM-TEMP ER120S-1 WELDABILITY TEKKEN, H-PLATE, BALLISTIC, & FSP DATA FOR IMPROVED SURVIVABILITY
Authors: Cola Gary M
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Survivability of a welded vehicle hull is directly tied to the performance of the
grade of steel armor used. Selecting the highest performing grade of armor that
can be welded into a specific location on a vehicle will improve survivability.
While rolled homogeneous armor is the simplest to weld, challenges in welding
high hard, and especially ultra high hard, are well known. Preventative measures
to avoid weld cracking in vehicle structures can lead to increased costs during
fabrication. Cracking of welds, both seen and unseen, in deployed vehicles
directly impacts the survivability of the vehicle. Weld cracking during
deployment further magnifies repair costs and leads to non-mission capable
status.

This analysis examines the weldability, ballistic/blast performance, and
underlying metallurgy of Flash® Processed steels that have been tested
by Army, Academia, and Industry.

Citation: G. Cola, “Flash® 600 Ultra High Hard:
Room-Temp ER120S-1 Weldability Tekken, H-Plate, Ballistic, & FSP Data For
Improved Survivability”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle
Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi,
MI, Aug. 10-12, 2021.
Developing Performance and Operating Requirements for Energy Attenuation (EA) Roof Liners for all U.S. Army Military Vehicles
Authors: Klima Julie
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The primary focus of this effort is to evaluate the roof liner
technology’s ability to reduce the head injury criteria (HIC) and head
acceleration to mitigate vertical impact related injures to mounted crew injures
which may occur during top and bottom threat events. In an effort to reduce the
likelihood of head injury during top and bottom threat attacks, an adequate roof
liner is needed to reduce the force exerted on the solider. The roof liners were
able to pass all system level tests. The successful system level testing
confirmed the blast mat technology’s TRL-6 recommendation.

Citation: J. Klima, “Developing Performance and Operating
Requirements for Energy Attenuating (EA) Roof Liner for all U.S. Army Military
Vehicles”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
10-12, 2021.
SOH-based Battery Reconfiguration for Improved Energy Efficiency and Mission Extension of Battery Systems
Authors: Wang Le Yi , Yin George , Ding Yi
Published: November 2024

Abstract

This paper analyzes the system-level state of health (SOH) and its dependence on
the SOHs of the battery modules within the battery system. Due to the stochastic
nature of battery aging processes and their dependance on charge/discharge,
depth, temperature, and environment conditions, prior or long-term prediction of
each module’s SOH is difficult. Based on estimated SOHs of battery
modules during battery operation, we demonstrate how the SOH of the entire
system decays when battery modules age and become increasingly diversified in
their maximum ampere-hour capacities. System-level energy efficiency is
analyzed. It is shown that by using battery reconfiguration after a length of
service, the overall battery usable capacities can be utilized more efficiently,
leading to extended operational ranges of the battery system. Analysis methods
and simulation studies are presented.
MULTIPLICATIVE TRADE STUDIES
Authors: Eridon James
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Combat vehicle design necessarily involves trade studies that attempt to balance
varying performance criteria against associated burdens, such as weight, cost,
and risk. Typically, trade studies quantify the value of different options by
evaluating each on the individual criteria and then generating a weighted sum
score. In the method described here the score is generated multiplicatively
rather than additively. In addition, the importance of each evaluation criterion
is used to generate the utility scores for that criterion. This improves the
trade study process in two significant ways. First, making the overall score
multiplicative greatly reduces the “compensation” problem, where
good performance in some criteria can outweigh exceedingly poor performance in
others. With a multiplicative method, only balanced solutions can score well.
Second, using importance weights to establish utility scores for individual
criteria simplifies the process, making it easier to conduct trades and evaluate
the sensitivity of the results.

Citation: J. Eridon, “Multiplicative Trade Studies”,
In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 10-12, 2021.
AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS SOLUTIONS
(AMASS)
Authors: Robinson Jacob W. , Lum Thomas W. , Larimore Zachary J. , Ludkey Matthew P. , Holmes Larry (LJ) R.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The University of Delaware (UD) and the US Army DEVCOM-GVSC (GVSC) have partnered
to show the feasibility of fabricating mission specific, man-packable,
autonomous vehicles that are created by Computer Aided Design (CAD) and are then
produced, from start-to-finish, in a single manufacturing unit-cell without
human intervention in the manufacturing process. This unit-cell contains many
manufacturing processes (e.g., additive manufacturing (AM), pick-and-place,
circuit printing, and subtractive manufacturing) that work in concert to
fabricate functional devices. Together, UD and GVSC have developed the very
first mission specific autonomous vehicle that is fully fabricated in a single
manufacturing unit-cell without being touched by human hand.

Citation: Jacob W. Robinson, Thomas W. Lum, Zachary J. Larimore,
Matthew P. Ludkey, Larry (LJ) R. Holmes, Jr. “AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING
FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS SOLUTIONS (AMASS)”, In Proceedings of the Ground
Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI,
Aug. 13-15, 2019.
RAPID HIGH-DIMENSIONAL SEMANTIC SEGMENTATION WITH ECHO STATE NETWORKS
Authors: Gardner S. , Haider M.R. , Smereka J. , Jayakumar P. , Kulkarni K. , Gorsich D. , Moradi L. , Vantsevich V.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Recurrent Neural Networks have largely been explored for low-dimensional
time-series tasks due to their fading memory properties, which is not needed for
feed-forward methods like the Convolutional Neural Network. However, benefits of
using a recurrent-based neural network (i.e. reservoir computing) for
time-independent inputs includes faster training times, lower training
requirements, and reduced computational burdens, along with competitive
performances to standard machine learning methods. This is especially important
for high-dimensional signals like complex images. In this report, a modified
Echo State Network (ESN) is introduced and evaluated for its ability to perform
semantic segmentation. The parallel ESN containing 16 parallel reservoirs has an
image processing time of 2 seconds with an 88% classification rate of 3 classes,
with no prior feature extraction or normalization, and a training time of under
2 minutes.

Citation: S. Gardner, M. R. Haider, J. Smereka, P. Jayakumar, K.
Kulkarni, D. Gorsich, L. Moradi, and V. Vantsevich, “Rapid
High-dimensional Semantic Segmentation With Echo State Networks”, In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 10-12, 2021.
NMP–free Lithium Ion for Sustainable Manufacturing in Silent-Watch Applications
Authors: Esarey Samuel L. , Kizzie Austin , Woodley Christopher , Matts Ian , Hellring Stuart , Zhou Zhilian , Terrago Gina
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

PPG formulates N-methyl pyrrolidone free (NMP−free) cathodes for
Li−ion batteries capable of delivering sufficient power for automotive
starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) as well as adequate charge capacity for
powering auxiliary electronics. In this paper, NMP−free energy cathodes
and power cathodes were formulated using developmental binders, and refinement
of carbon/binder ratio and slurry mix procedure. Learnings from the energy and
power cathode development were conceptually combined in the formulation of
capacity enhanced power cathodes. These cathodes were evaluated
electrochemically via power capability and rate capability testing in battery
coin cells, as well as in 0.5 Ah multilayer pouch cells. Carbon content was
found to be a critical factor in attaining high cold crank performance. This
work represents significant steps toward potential commercialization of
NMP−free cathode coated foil for Li−ion batteries.

Citation: S. Esarey, A. Kizzie, C. Woodley, I. Matts, S. Hellring,
Z. Zhou, G. Terrago “NMP−free Lithium Ion for Sustainable
Manufacturing in Silent-Watch Applications,” In Proceedings of
the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
CREATION OF CAD ACCOMMODATION MODELS FOR MILITARY GROUND VEHICLE DESIGN
Authors: Huston Frank J. , Zielinski Gale L. , Reed Matthew P.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The objective of this effort is to create parametric Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
accommodation models for crew and dismount workstations with specific tasks. The
CAD accommodation models are statistical models that have been created utilizing
data from the Seated Soldier Study and follow-on studies. The final products are
parametric CAD models that provide geometric boundaries indicating the required
space and adjustments needed for the equipped Soldiers’ helmet, eyes,
torso, knees, boots, controls, and seat travel. Clearances between the Soldier
and surrounding interior surfaces and direct field of view have been added per
MIL-STD-1472H. The CAD models can be applied early in the vehicle design process
to ensure accommodation requirements are met and help explore possible design
tradeoffs when conflicts with other design parameters exist. The CAD models are
available to government and industry partners and via the GVSC public website
once they have undergone Verification.

Citation: F. Huston II, G. Zielinski, M. Reed, PhD,
“Creation of CAD Accommodation Models for Military Ground Vehicle
Design,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
16-18, 2022.
Leveraging Game Engine Simulation to Accelerate
Design
Authors: Diepen Andy , Vazquez Orlando , Black Andrew , Gaff Chuck
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Vehicle design today takes longer than it ever has in the past largely due to the
abundance of requirements, standards, and new design techniques; this trend is
not likely to change any time soon. This paper will explore how advancements in
gaming engines can be leveraged to bring realistic visualization and virtual
prototypes to the beginning of the design cycle, integrate subsystems earlier in
the design, provide advanced simulation capabilities, and ensure that the final
design not only meets the requirements but is fully vetted by stakeholders and
meets the needs of the platform. The Unreal Engine and Bravo Framework can be
used to bring this and more to vehicle designs to reduce design churn and bring
better products to market faster.

Citation: A. Diepen, O. Vazquez, A. Black, C. Gaff
“Leveraging Simulation Tools to Accelerate Design,” In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
The Tactical Smart NIC
Authors: Dahlstrom Jason , Padnos Stephen , Brock James , Taylor Stephen
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a novel network security appliance -- the Tactical Smart
Network Interface Card (TSNIC) – that leverages state-of-the-art Field
Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technologies to continuously maintain the
integrity of tactical missions. The Smart NIC appears as an all-hardware
“bump-in-the-wire” along any network segment or attached to an
industry standard bus interface providing infrastructure defense for ground
vehicles. It can be custom configured to provide encryption, protocol and file
format validation, and/or protocol encapsulation. These capabilities are
achieved by several innovations: high-level synthesis (HLS) for rapid circuit
development, automated parser generation to adapt to mission requirements, and a
hardware nano-marshal to dynamically adapt defensive posture in the face of
changing threat profiles.

Citation: J. Dahlstrom, S. Padnos, J. Brock, and S. Taylor,
“The Tactical Smart NIC,” In Proceedings of the Ground
Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS),
NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
BLOCKCHAIN INTEGRITY CHECKS FORSOFTWARE (BICS)
Authors: Fortney George G
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Currently there is no method to ensure that the software loaded on a vehicle has
been compromised at the software level. Common practice is to use physical port
security to secure all network and data bus connection points with physical
devices requiring tool, keys, or damage to tamper evident devices to prevent,
inhibit, or discourage unauthorized connection; turn off access to the ports in
the BIOS and password protect the BIOS. As well as give non-admin access to user
accounts and password protect the operating systems. All these countermeasures
help to prevent access but there is no way to tell if the software was
compromised if not detected by these methods. Blockchain technology ensures that
the software has not been compromised by comparing a hash generated at start up
and comparing it to the distributed ledger. This technology helps to bring
Warfighter technology into the future.
Automotive Ethernet Cyberattack Defense in Ground
Vehicles
Authors: Moldenhauer Peter , Esquivel Jonathan
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the strategies and challenges involved to secure vehicles
which use automotive Ethernet-based networks. Since the early 1990’s,
the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus has been the standard in automotive
networking systems. However, automotive Ethernet is becoming more common in
recent years and is considered the future in automotive networking. This new
technology has unique advantages over traditional CAN bus networks (e.g. higher
bandwidth that can support hashing and encryption), and it still requires
additional security measures such as monitoring and detection of anomalies to
better secure the vehicle. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has previously
developed a CAN-only intrusion detection system (IDS) which protects a
vehicle’s CAN bus by actively monitoring traffic and flagging messages
that are identified as anomalies. SwRI successfully implemented the ability to
read, train, and detect on automotive Ethernet data in the IDS. The integration
of automotive Ethernet in the IDS unveiled numerous challenges and lessons
learned throughout its development.

Citation: P. Moldenhauer, J. Esquivel “Automotive Ethernet
Cyberattack Defense in Ground Vehicles”, In Proceedings of the
Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
IMPROVE LIDAR PERFORMANCE WITH UV DURABLE HYDROPHOBIC COATINGS
Authors: Zhao Yuejun , Hellerman Edward A. , Lu Songwei , Selekwa Majura
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Autonomous driving is emerging as the future of transportation recently. For
autonomous driving to be safe and reliable the perception sensors need
sufficient vision in sometimes challenging operating conditions including dust,
dirt, and moisture or during inclement weather. LiDAR perception sensors used in
certain autonomous driving solutions require both a clean and dry sensor screen
to effectively operate in a safe manner. In this paper, UV durable Hydrophobic
(UVH) coatings were developed to improve LiDAR sensing performance. A lab
testbed was successfully constructed to evaluate UVH coatings and uncoated
control samples for LiDAR sensor under the simulated weathering conditions,
including fog, rain, mud, and bug. In addition, a mobile testbed was developed
in partnership with North Dakota State University (NDSU) to evaluate the UVH
coatings in an autonomous moving vehicle under different weathering conditions.
These UV-durable easy-to-clean coatings with high optical transmission, good
wear durability, and excellent UV durability could improve the effectiveness and
efficiency of the LiDAR sensor, which provides a key improvement in safety for
autonomous vehicles.

Citation: Y. Zhao, E. A. Hellerman, S. Lu, M. Selekwa,
“Improve LiDAR performance with UV durable hydrophobic
coatings,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
16-18, 2022.
THE ‘GUILLOTINE’ AN ADAPTIVE, ROBOTIC, ANTI-TANK
PRECISION ATTACK SYSTEM
Authors: Dooley Matthew , Lacaze Alberto
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) remain a key component of most modern militaries. While
the best way to ‘kill a tank’ is via the employment of another
tank, matching enemy armor formations one-for one is not always possible. Light
infantry lack organic armor and their shoulder launched anti-tank capabilities
do not defeat the latest generation of MBTs. To compensate for this capability
gap, the U.S. Army has employed precision guided anti-tank munitions, such as
the “Javelin.” However, these are expensive to produce in
quantity and require risking the forward presence of dismounted Soldiers to
employ. Mine fields offer another option but are immobile once employed. The
‘Guillotine’ Attack System proposes to change the equation by
pairing an AI enabled, adaptive unmanned delivery system with a shaped charge
payload. Guillotine can loiter for hours, reposition itself to hunt for targets,
and- when ready- deliver a precision shaped charge strike from the air.

Citation: “The ‘Guillotine’; An Adaptive,
Robotic, Anti-Tank Precision Attack System,” In Proceedings of
the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
TELEOPERATED GROUND VEHICLE ROLLOVER PREVENTION VIA HAPTIC FEEDBACK OF THE ZERO-MOMENT POINT INDEX
Authors: Steadman Kathleen , Stubbs Chandler , Baskaran Avinash , Rose Chad G. , Bevly David
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Many rollover prevention algorithms rely on vehicle models which are difficult to
develop and require extensive knowledge of the vehicle. The Zero-Moment Point
(ZMP) combines a simple vehicle model with IMU-only sensor measurements. When
used in conjunction with haptic feedback, ground vehicle rollover can be
prevented. This paper investigates IMU grade requirements for an accurate
rollover prediction. This paper also discusses a haptic feedback design that
delivers operator alerts to prevent rollover. An experiment was conducted using
a Gazebo simulation to assess the capabilities of the ZMP method to predict
vehicle wheel lift-off and demonstrate the potential for haptic communication of
the ZMP index to prevent rollover.

Citation: K. Steadman, C. Stubbs, A. Baskaran, C. G. Rose, D. Bevly,
“Teleoperated Ground Vehicle Rollover Prevention via Haptic Feedback of
the Zero-Moment Point Index,” In Proceedings of the Ground
Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS),
NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
LIDAR SEMANTIC SEGMENTATION WITH A MULTI-RESERVOIR ECHO STATE NETWORK FOR OFF-ROAD TERRAIN PERCEPTION
Authors: Gardner S. , Haider M. R. , Fiorini P. , Misko S. , Smereka J. , Jayakumar P. , Gorsich D. , Moradi L. , Vantsevich V.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Autonomous vehicle perception has been widely explored using camera images but is
limited with respect to LiDAR point cloud processing. Furthermore, focus is
primarily on well-regulated environments, obviating a need for an algorithm that
can contextualize dynamic and complex conditions through 3D point cloud
representation. In this report, an Echo State Network for LiDAR signal
processing is introduced and evaluated for its ability to perform semantic
segmentation on unregulated terrains, using the RELLIS-3D open-source dataset.
The L-ESN contains 16 parallel reservoirs with point cloud processing time of
1.9 seconds and 83.1% classification rate of 4 classes defining terrain
trafficability, with no prior feature extraction or normalization, and a
training time of 31 minutes. A 2D cost map is generated from the segmented point
cloud for integration as a perception node plug-in to system-level navigation
architectures.

Citation: S. Gardner, M. R. Haider, P. Fiorini, S. Misko, J.
Smereka, P. Jayakumar, D. Gorsich, L. Moradi, and V. Vantsevich, “Lidar
Semantic Segmentation with a Multi-reservoir Echo State Network for Off-road
Terrain Perception”, In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18,
2022.
GAUSSIAN PROCESS MODELING OF TERRAIN SLOPE FOR GROUND VEHICLE LOCALIZATION
Authors: Pentzer Jesse , Reichard Karl
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a Gaussian process model of terrain slope for use in a
GPS-free localization algorithm for ground robots operating in unstructured
terrain. A wheeled skid-steer robot is used to map the terrain slope within an
operational area of interest. The slope data is sampled sparsely and used as
training data for a Gaussian process model with a two-dimensional input. Three
different covariance functions for the Gaussian process model are evaluated with
hyperparameters selected through maximizing the log marginal likelihood. The
resulting Gaussian process model is used in the measurement update function of a
localization particle filter to generate expected slope values at particle
positions. Preliminary localization testing shows sub-ten meter accuracy with no
initial knowledge of position. However, the overall performance of the filter is
highly dependent on the variability of the terrain that the robot traverses.

Citation: J. Pentzer, K. Reichard, “Gaussian Process
Modeling of Terrain Slope for Ground Vehicle Localization,” In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
ATLAS, AN ALL-TERRAIN LABELSET FOR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
Authors: Smith Weston , Grabowsky David , Mikulski Dariusz
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

All-Terrain off-road environments are the next frontier for autonomous vehicles
to overcome. However, there are many obstacles in the way of this goal.
Artificial intelligence has proven to be an invaluable asset in developing
perception and path planning systems capable of overcoming these obstacles, but
these AI systems fundamentally rely on the availability of data related to the
operational environment in order to succeed. Currently, there is no unifying
ontology for this data. This has inhibited progress on training AI by reducing
the availability of cross-integrable datasets. We present ATLAS: A labeling
ontology composed of over 200 labels specifically designed to encompass
all-terrain off-road environments. This ontology will lay the ground work for
creating scalable standardized all terrain off-road data and will enable future
AI by providing an expansive and well labeled ontology that can push the field
of autonomous vehicles to new heights.

Citation: W. Smith, D. Grabowsky, D. Mikulski, “ATLAS, an All-Terrain
Labelset for Autonomous Systems,” In Proceedings of the Ground
Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS),
NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
APPLICATIONS OF A SHARED DATA WAREHOUSE FOR GROUND VEHICLE AUTONOMY
Authors: Boulet Michael , Cristofalo Eric , DeBitetto Paul , Griffith Daniel , Heier Andrew , Kassoumeh Sam , Plotnik Aaron , Wu Alan
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Many recent advances in autonomy are derived from algorithm optimization and
analysis with a large volume of data. The Autonomous Mobility Through
Intelligent Collaboration (AMIC) program established a resource to host and
access data to accelerate autonomy capability development across the U.S. Army
Robotics and Autonomous Systems enterprise. The repository is seeded with
high-quality multi-modal Autonomous Ground Vehicle sensor data collected from
relevant operating environments. Development of unmanned air-ground teaming
capability that extends the perception and planning horizon of an individual
ground vehicle exercises and informs the development of the data warehouse.
Collected data was also used to train a convolutional neural network to estimate
relative vehicle position from camera images for communication-free formation
control.

Citation: M. Boulet, E. Cristofalo, P. DeBitetto, D. Griffith, A.
Heier, S. Kassoumeh, A. Plotnik, A. Wu, “Applications of a Shared Data
Warehouse for Ground Vehicle Autonomy,” In Proceedings of the
Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 16-18, 2022.
SCENE ADJUSTMENT TOOLS FOR AUTONOMY SIMULATION
Authors: Auchter Joseph , Brothers Robert , Beer Daniel
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces a set of Simulation Scene Adjustment Tools which allow
users to adjust relevant geo-environmental parameters to create an unlimited
number of new scenes that are based on, and share relevant characteristics with,
the original. We also introduce a set of novel quantitative metrics that compare
the simulation scenes from the perspective of an automated vehicle system. These
tools are useful for automated vehicle development and testing to alleviate the
problem of having only a few simulation scenes with which to prove out the
system.

Citation: J. Auchter, R. Brothers, D. Beer, “Scene
Adjustment Tools for Autonomy Simulation,” In Proceedings of the
Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 15-17, 2023.
AUGMENTING THERMAL AND SIGNATURE MODELS USING A FAST 3D FLUID DYNAMICS SIMULATION FOR IMPROVED CONVECTION FIDELITY
Authors: Pryor Joshua , Karnitz Duncan , Powers Warren , Banyai Douglas , Rynes Pete , Tison Nathan , Korivi Vamshi , Ruan Yeefeng
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Accuratet thermal simulations for the purpose of thermal or infrared signature
management require accurate representation of all modes of heat transfer. For
scenarios with complex fluid dynamics and convective heat transfer, traditional
options have included very simple 0D methods or very computationally expensive
3D CFD simulations. Motivated by adding options between these extremes and
tuning the method to a heat transfer focus, a 3D fluid dynamics solver is
developed that is tightly integrated and automatically coupled with the MuSES
thermal and EO/IR simulation software. Key applications of interest include wind
flow around ground vehicles for the purpose of infrared signature management and
HVAC air flow within cabins for the purpose of thermal management. The flow
solver uses novel numerical techniques to simplify the standard Navier-Stokes
equations and avoid calculations which may not be necessary for thermal
simulations. Several domain meshing strategies, physics models, numerical
approaches, and test models are developed with the goal of ease of use and
minimal additional time investment for a thermal simulation.

Citation: J. Pryor, D. Karnitz, W. Powers, D. Banyai, P. Rynes, N.
Tison, V. Korivi, Y. Ruan, “Augmenting Thermal And Signature Models
Using A Fast 3D Fluid Dynamics Simulation For Improved Convection
Fidelity,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
15-17, 2023.
A VIRTUAL SPECTATOR SYSTEM FOR VIRTUAL EXPERIMENTATION IN MULTI-USER
VIDEO GAME ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Louie Wing-Yue Geoffrey , AbuHijleh Motaz , Dallas Sean , Brudnak Mark , Pappas Gregory
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Virtual experiments are used by the US Army to evaluate and obtain soldier
feedback on new technologies. These evaluations are currently limited to
obtaining soldier self-reports to determine the effectiveness of technologies
and attain feedback for future improvements. Current virtual experiments are
unable to accommodate external observers to spectate and evaluate soldier
interactions with technologies due to difficulties in spectating the fast-paced
multi-user interactions occurring during virtual experiments conducted by the US
Army. In this paper, we present our research on identifying US Army requirements
for a spectator interface and the design as well as development of a spectator
interface system to address these challenges in virtual experimentation. A case
study focusing on virtual experimentation for a human-robot teaming security
scenario is then presented to demonstrate the usage and utility of the developed
virtual spectator system.

Citation: W.-Y. G. Louie, M. AbuHijleh, S. Dallas, M. Brudnak, and
G. Pappas, “A Virtual Spectator System for Virtual Experimentation in
Multi-User Video Game Environments,” In Proceedings of the
Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 15-17, 2023.
DEVELOPMENT OF A MODULAR OPEN SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ACHIEVE POWER
DISTRIBUTION COMPONENT COMMONALITY
Authors: Holmstedt Jason
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The hybridization and electrification of military vehicles coupled with the
desire to reduce fuel consumption has led to the need for an increase in power
distribution controls including electronic circuit breakers (ECBs).The
Department of Defense’s approach to tactical systems development and
acquisition has aligned to a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) strategy.
Currently, no established form-factor standards exist to apply to power
distribution to conform to MOSA. Intellisense proposed and chairs the VITA
85.108 Power Distribution and Controls Study Group to establish a common
standard for ECB solutions to further commonality of the components, increase
competition, and mitigate proprietary solutions. This paper describes the
progress and activities to develop this standard.

Citation: J. Holmstedt, “Development of a Modular
Open Systems Approach to Achieve Power Distribution Component
Commonality,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle
Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi,
MI, Aug. 15-17, 2023.
Demystifying Selection Criteria for Embedded Military Vetronics
Software
Authors: Warther John
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Selecting component software for next generation vehicular and payload
electronics is an increasingly difficult challenge. There are many culprits,
including increased complexity at the silicon level that can ultimately enable
the software defined “tank” of the future. This paper will
address software criteria and development processes required to deploy a
standards-based, net-enabled military ground vetronics capability and provide
demonstrable foundational technology.
Translating the Digital Engineering Vision to Reality: A Process for
Defining a Suitable Digital Engineering Scope for DoD Acquisition
Programs
Authors: Scheithauer Sarah , Chudy David , Byrd Gerald , Juelson Brady , Clark Dalton , Arndt Craig
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Digital Engineering (DE) has been a prevalent topic across the Department of
Defense (DoD) since the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Systems Engineering – now the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense
for Research and Engineering [OUSD(R&E)] - re-leased the DoD Digital
Engineering strategy1 in 2018. Since then, there has been a major push to
incorporate DE into the DoD acquisition process and for programs to use DE,
including Mod-el-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), in system development. This
paper focuses on where the DoD stands today with adoption of digital
acquisition, the challenges of implementing DE on major programs, and the
approach used by the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV)
program to define a realistic pathway to effectively implement a DE strategy
from Re-quest for Proposal (RFP) to prototype acquisition.

Citation: S. Scheithauer, D. Chudy, G. Byrd, B. Juelson, D. Clark,
C. Arndt, “Translating the Digital Engineering Vision to Reality: A
Process for Defining a Suitable Digital Engineering Scope for DoD Acquisition
Programs,” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems
Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug.
15-17, 2023.
A SEMANTICALLY CLASSIFIED GEO-SPATIAL 3D OCTREE VOXEL BASED SYSTEM FOR GEOTECHNICAL SITE CHARACTERIZATION
Authors: Richards Matthew E. , Murphy Kevin F. , Toledo Israel Lopez , Soylemezoglu Ahmet
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Geotechnical site characterization is the process of collecting geophysical and
geospatial characteristics about the surface and subsurface to create a
3-dimensional (3D) model. Current Robot Operating System (ROS) world models are
designed primarily for navigation in unknown environments; however, they do not
store the geotechnical characteristics requisite for environmental assessment,
archaeology, construction engineering, or disaster response. The automotive
industry is researching High Definition (HD) Maps, which contain more
information and are currently being used by autonomous vehicles for ground truth
localization, but they are static and primarily used for navigation in highly
regulated infrastructure. Modern site characterization and HD mapping methods
involve survey engineers working on-site followed by lengthy post processing.
This research addresses the shortcomings for current world models and site
characterization by introducing Site Model Geospatial System (SMGS). This site
model leverages an octree spatial data model to store heterogeneous geotechnical
information in a Volumetric Pixel (Voxel) grid, which allows for more efficient
algorithms in data analysis and fusion. SMGS provides a real-time, dynamically
updated, 3D data model with semantically derived costmaps for navigation and
Engineer operations, ground truth localization without GPS, and produces
standard Geographic Information System (GIS) maps.

Citation: M. Richards, K. Murphy, I. Lopez Toledo, A. Soylemezoglu,
“A Semantically Classified Geo-spatial 3D Octree Voxel Based System for
Geotechnical Site Characterization,” In Proceedings of the
Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium
(GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 15-17, 2023.
CROSS-VIEW IMAGE TRANSLATION USING CONDITIONAL GAN FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING
Authors: Zhang Dan , Sanders Bradley , Byrd Grayson , Luo Feng , Krovi Venkat , Gorsich David , Smereka Jonathon M. , Brudnak Mark
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

A major benefit of intelligent and autonomous vehicles is their ability to
navigate through hazardous environments that pose a significant danger to
humans. In such environments, eventual damage to vehicle sensors is often
inevitable. To address this threat to vehicle function, we propose a more robust
system in which information from alternative sensors is leveraged to restore
navigation capabilities in the case of primary sensor failure. This system
employs image translation methods that enable the vehicle to use images
generated from an auxiliary camera to synthesize the display of the primary
camera. In this work, we present a conditional Generative Adversarial Network
(cGAN) based method for view translation coupled with a Residual Neural Network
for imitation learning. We evaluate our approach in the CARLA simulator and
demonstrate its ability to restore navigation capabilities to a real-world
vehicle by generating a front-view image from a left-camera view.

Citation: Dan Zhang, Bradley Sanders, Grayson Byrd, Feng Luo, Venkat
Krovi, David Gorsich, Jonathon M. Smereka, Mark Brudnak, “Cross-view
Image Translation using Conditional GAN for Autonomous Driving”. In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 15-17, 2023.
ROBUST PATH PLANNING IN THE BATTLEFIELD
Authors: Damgaard Thomas Jonsson , Rittri Mikael , Franz Patrick , Halota Anika
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Autonomous vehicles rely on path planning to guide them towards their
destination. These paths are susceptible to interruption by impassable hazards
detected at the local scale via on-board sensors, and malicious disruption. We
define robustness as an additional parameter which can be incorporated into
multi-objective optimization functions for path planning. The robustness at any
point is the output of a function of the isochrone map at that point for a set
travel time. The function calculates the sum of the difference in area between
the isochrone map and the isochrone map with an impassable semi-circle hazard
inserted in each of the four cardinal directions. We calculate and compare two
different Pareto paths which use robustness as an input parameter with different
weights.

Citation: T. Jonsson Damgaard, M. Rittri, P. Franz, A. Halota
“Robust Path Planning in the Battlefield,” In
Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology
Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 15-17, 2023.