Off-Road Autonomy
Autonomy projects focus on the fusion of data from sensing and estimation to provide situational intelligence, as well as machine learning for algorithm development and novel approaches to multi-scale team routing.
Thank you for joining us at the 2024 VIPR-GS Annual Review
Over 300 talented interdisciplinary researchers, industry leaders, and government officials joined our community during this event.
Dr. David Gorsich, Chief Scientist of DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center, said of the event: "It is building upon what we've already done here and moving in the direction where we work on very relevant challenges to the Army, and also bringing industry and partnerships with industry because that is key to transitioning."
Revolutionizing Mobility
VIPR-GS is a research partnership between Ground Vehicle Systems Center and Clemson University aimed at the forefront of transformational mobility. The center boasts expertise in autonomy, connectivity, propulsion systems, sustainable energy, digital engineering and virtual prototyping for both off-road and on-road vehicles.
Located at CU-ICAR in Greenville, SC — Clemson's groundbreaking innovation campus — VIPR-GS is well-positioned for breakthroughs in the worlds of military and commercial transportation.
Mission and Vision
Autonomous automotive technologies are changing economies and global industries – they are also a driving force behind military modernization. Bringing high-speed self-driving vehicles to life on- and off-road requires new concepts and algorithms to be tested expeditiously and cost-effectively – all of which happen through virtual prototyping.
The mission of the VIPR-GS Research Center is to develop innovative tools and methodologies for virtual prototyping and agile physical prototyping, enabled by research breakthroughs in off-road vehicle autonomy and vehicle propulsion, including smart management of fleet energy resources. The overarching goals are to provide new modeling and simulation capabilities, software tools and methodologies, as well as hardware demonstrations supporting GVSC’s research and development mandate, and driven by the needs of the Army’s NGCV program, one of the six top priorities of the U.S. Military.
There are three focal areas in the Center: autonomy for off-road vehicles in an unstructured environment, vehicle propulsion and fleet energy, and digital engineering. Models, algorithms, analytical capabilities and decision-making tools resulting from the research are evaluated by fabricating a physical mock-up of an optionally manned, non-combat, off-road ground vehicle. Discoveries and breakthrough innovations from the VIPR-GS Center research are fabricated and validated via Deep Orange, the University's long-running educational prototyping program, as a demonstrator and test bed for future research efforts.
The VIPR-GS Center's impact reaches beyond any single project by compressing the time needed for design and development in the autonomous space. Not only does this allow partners to significantly reduce timelines for innovation, but virtual prototyping enables new design capabilities that cut across industry sectors and applications.
Research Focus Areas
Propulsion Systems
Power and energy projects focus on the electrified powertrain of the series-HEV configuration and leverages simulations with an appropriate level of fidelity to provide the most efficient (thermally, mechanically, and electrically) and resilient propulsion system able to meet rigorous mobility requirements while incorporating next-generation energy source/load/storage components.
Digital Engineering
The autonomy and advanced propulsion focuses drive digital engineering projects to create a comprehensive virtual prototyping framework for complex systems such as the modern off-road autonomous vehicle. This framework can produce a fully developed, complex digital twin that can be validated virtually by physical prototyping.
Tools for the Trade
Founded in 2020, VIPR-GS develops advanced digital engineering and simulation tools for smarter, faster, more cost-effective autonomous vehicles. The center’s impact reaches beyond any single project by compressing design timelines and development in the autonomous space. Virtual prototyping also offers new design capabilities that cut across industry sectors and applications.
Research Overviews
Propulsion Systems and Smart Energy
Apparao Rao and Morteza Sabet
Propulsion Systems and Smart Energy
Beshah Ayalew and Jiangfeng Zhang
Off-Road Autonomy
Yunyi Jia, Venkat Krovi and Bing Li
Propulsion Systems and Smart Energy
Jianhua Tong
Propulsion Systems and Smart Energy
Benjamin Lawler
Virtual Prototyping and Digital Engineering
Laura Redmond
Off-Road Autonomy for Multi-scale Vehicle Fleets
Pamela Murray-Tuite and Matthias Schmid
Deep Orange 14 Overview
Driven by Clemson University
VIPR-GS is operated out of Clemson University, one of the nation’s most active research institutions. Located at CU-ICAR, the University’s world-renowned automotive research center in Greenville, SC, VIPR-GS leverages Clemson’s deep research expertise and interdisciplinary culture to deliver breakthrough innovation.
Leadership Team
Zoran Filipi
Director, VIPR-GS
Director, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering
Clemson University
Rob Prucka
Deputy Director, VIPR-GS
Kulwicki Endowed Professor
Department of Automotive Engineering
Clemson University
Jeff Linden
Program Manager, VIPR-GS
School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering
Clemson University
| Name | Title | |
| Yunyi Jia | Off-Road Autonomy Focus Area Director | yunyij@clemson.edu |
| Beshah Ayalew | Propulsion Systems and Smart Energy Focus Area Director | beshah@clemson.edu |
| Laura Redmond | Virtual Prototyping and Digital Engineering Focus Area Director | lmredmo@clemson.edu |
| Chris Paredis | RTK Integration Advisor | paredis@clemson.edu |
| Jerome McClendon | RTK Integration Advisor | jmcclen@clemson.edu |
| Greg Mocko | Associate Director, Development | gmocko@clemson.edu |
| Pamela Murray-Tuite | Associate Director, New Federal Initiatives | pmmurra@clemson.edu |
| John Wagner | Associate Director, Education and Opportunity | jwagner@clemson.edu |
| Ben Lawler | Associate Director, Propulsion Systems Integration | bjlawle@clemson.edu |
| Johnell Brooks | Associate Director, US Service Member Engagement | jobrook@clemson.edu |
| Venkat Krovi | Associate Director, Industry Relations | vkrovi@clemson.edu |
1 Research Drive | Greenville, SC 29607 | vipr-gs@clemson.edu
