RESEARCH NEWS
US $ 100m for Automotive Research Centre
The U . S . Army has extended its long-running relationship with the University of Michigan ’ s Automotive Research Center , reaching a new five-year agreement of up to US $ 100- million to boost work on autonomous vehicle technologies .
This potentially doubles the U . S . federal government ’ s financial investment with ARC since the last agreement , reached in 2019 . Following its 1994 launch , the ARC has served as a source of technology plus modelling and simulation for the Army ’ s fleet of vehicles .
“ We are driving the development of modern mobility systems with our advanced modelling and simulation method such as high-fidelity synthetic environments , virtual vehicle prototypes and virtual reality tools for humanautonomy teaming ,” said Bogdan Epureanu , ARC director and Roger L . McCarthy professor of mechanical engineering and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the College of Engineering .
“ The cost and time needed to collect data through physical experimentation is prohibitive , and the amount of data needed to enable autonomous operation in off-road , military , emergency or disaster relief scenarios is thousands of times larger than that needed for operation in cities . Cutting-edge modelling and simulation approaches , such as the ones developed in the ARC , provide a critical solution to this enormous challenge .”
The ARC brings together researchers working in engineering , machine learning ,
From left , mechanical engineering Ph . D . students Jesús García Pérez and James Baxter work on a simulation involved with the Automotive Research Center ’ s work for the U . S . Army ( photo by Levi Hutmacher , College of Engineering ).
human factors and social behaviour . It fits within U-M ’ s broader mission of exploring the future of mobility from autonomous and connected vehicle technology to battery research for electric vehicles .
The 14-member collection of universities and institutes , led by U-M , features 84 faculty members , 34 industry partners and four government agencies . It is an ecosystem of research and innovation devoted to transforming ground system technologies . Participating institutions include : the
University of Iowa ; Wayne State University ; Clemson University ; Oakland University ; Virginia Tech ; Michigan Technological University ; Mississippi State University ; the University of Alabama at Birmingham ; George Mason University ; Central Michigan University ; Michigan State University ; Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of California , Irvine . n
https
:// me . engin . umich . edu /
Collaboration powers growth in Wales
AMRC Cymru is partnering with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David ( UWTSD ) to help lead Welsh businesses towards a smart , sustainable and resilient future . The collaboration combines the teams of AMRC Cymru and UWTSD to support manufacturers across Wales with digital tools and technology advances to help sharpen their competitive edge .
AMRC Cymru , based in Broughton , North Wales ( a member of the High Value
Ffatri 4.0 is just one of the projects on which AMRC Cymru and UWTSD have collaborated .
Manufacturing Catapult network of research centres ) and UWTSD , with its advanced manufacturing centre in Swansea , help to bridge the gap between academia and industry to create an environment where innovation thrives and helps businesses to grow .
The two organisations , with their track record for developing industry-focused solutions to increase productivity and growth , have already collaborated on several projects designed to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and skills , improve processes and increase profitability .
These research projects and programmes include MADE Cymru , an EU-funded ( via Welsh Government ) project that has been key in upskilling manufacturers across Wales and SMART Digital Accelerator ( funded by the Welsh Government ) helping manufacturers to identify new and effective digital technologies to improve their profitability . Ffatri 4.0 is a Welsh Government-funded project primarily aimed at the food and drink industry , looking at how business can continue to increase productivity while meeting netzero carbon emissions targets through smart technologies . UWTSD contributed significantly to blockchain innovation , visualisation tools and cybersecurity .
AMRC Cymru , part of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre ( AMRC ) innovation cluster , and UWTSD plan to build on these successes with more projects in the pipeline set to further revolutionise Welsh manufacturing . n
www . uwtsd . ac . uk
www . amrc . co . uk / pages / amrc-cymru
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