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DETROIT ARSENAL—The Center for Army Analysis has given two of its prestigious Modeling & Simulation awards to the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center.
Both awards, in the team category—one in Acquisition, the other in Experimentation—recognize the increasing value of advanced digital modeling and simulation capabilities in product development.
“The importance of Modeling, Simulation and Prototyping in the Army cannot be overstated,” said Jeffrey Jaster, GVSC deputy executive director for Modeling, Simulation, and Prototyping. “We leverage advanced tools and technologies across the lifecycle of a ground vehicle capability’s development, integration, and assessment to get a better product to the warfighter faster and more cost-efficiently.” he said.
The theme for the 2024 M&S competition was “Transforming Army Models and Simulations.” Of the 39 nominations evaluated, the Army doled out seven team and four individual awards.
For the Acquisition award, three GVSC teams— Advanced Concepts, Immersive Simulation, and the Detroit Arsenal Prototype Integration Facility (DTA PIF)—developed a new capability to visualize and support Soldier Centric Design with immersive computer-aided design (CAD) model exploration.
The capability, called eXtended Reality Immersive Design Exploration (xRIDE), includes a process to integrate CAD models using digital engineering practices into a collaborative and immersive exploration environment built in an unreal engine and using a physical structure mockup, or what’s known as a crew buck, which was built in the DTA PIF.
“This exploration capability allows the user to visualize and interact with proposed government and vendor concepts for new and existing military ground vehicles before expensive prototypes are created,” said Rachel Agusti, GVSC branch chief for Visualization in Immersive Simulation.
“By utilizing digital engineering practices, the team was able to receive CAD models in real time from vendor Contract Data Requirements Lists and ingest them across three functional areas, creating a mixed reality physical buck space, a virtual reality digital representative of the design, and provide the program office with engineering feedback on the vendor design,” Agusti said.
The xRIDE capability was developed with longevity in mind agnostic of the vehicle and allowing for application across multi-domain platforms.
“xRIDE offers significant advantages to the Army and Acquisition community by facilitating an earlier and more iterative digital design review process for Army acquisition programs and engineering changes,” said Jeff Ernat, GVSC chief engineer for Advanced Concepts.
“This capability enables program managers to gather feedback from Soldiers and stakeholders, informing critical design decisions and driving human-centered design improvements,” he said.
The GVSC team has supported Product Manager XM30 and Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross Functional Team with xRIDE stakeholder engagements.
“On behalf of the XM30 team, I thank you all for contributing to this effort and helping us gain advocacy within the operational force,” said LTC Michael Keathley, PM for XM30 Prototype Development. “Things like this carry more weight than you may realize, and it really does wonders for a program like ours that’s this new and this different.”
For the Experimentation award, a Software Development team, comprised of 13 members from GVSC Immersive Simulation, created a simulation software environment called ProjectGL.
Their award-winning submission is designed with a modular architecture to support a variety of needs for various simulations and virtual experiments.
The software supports complex simulation requirements for multiple vehicles, terrains, sensors and other technologies, while using a common, internal framework to support extensive configuration.
“With a growing user community that spans multiple organizations, labs and centers across the Army DEVCOM enterprise, ProjectGL has made, and continues to make, significant contributions in informing the Next Generation Combat Vehicle modernization priority and supporting the National Defense Strategy,” said Chris Mikulski, GVSC Branch Chief for Software Development in Immersive Simulation.
Use cases include autonomy simulations to improve existing and future robotic and autonomous systems (RAS), software-in-the-loop testing of autonomy kits, human-machine integrated formation concept investigations, and long-range precision fires testing and development.
“Customers across the ground acquisition enterprise are benefiting from the modular, reusable software in ProjectGL to reduce the time and cost to develop, integrate and execute simulations and virtual experiments that inform requirements for future Programs of Record,” Mikulski said.
Acquisition Team Award – Mixed Reality Immersive Visualization, Exploration, and Digital Twin Soldier Centered Design (SCD) Capability
Team:
• Ms. Rachel Agusti (Immersive Simulation)
• Mr. Adam Bolen (Prototype Integration Facility)
• Ms. Chiquita Dunbar (Prototype Integration Facility)
• Mr. Jeffrey Ernat (Advanced Concepts)
• Mr. John Maniaci (Prototype Integration Facility)
• Mr. Anthony Maraldo (Advanced Concepts)
• Mr. Matthew Reynolds (Prototype Integration Facility)
“The team was further bolstered by collaboration with additional experts from the Immersive Simulation Visualization Branch, to include Torch Technologies, a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract partner,” Agusti said. “Notably, the project leveraged Congressional Add funding to enhance the capabilities and mission of the GVSC, with a focus on advancing Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis initiatives,” she said.
Experimentation Team Award – The ProjectGL Simulation Software Framework
Team (All from Immersive Simulation):
• Mr. Christopher Mikulski
• Mr. James Barry
• Mr. Cale Campbell
• Mr. David Flores
• Mr. Christopher Hideg
• Mr. Jason Hogan
• Mr. Jonathan Joyce
• Mr. Benjamin Malinowski
• Mr. David Miller
• Mr. Joshua Montague
• Mr. Stuart Morton
• Mr. Thomas Stanko
• Ms. Rachel Wenzlick
DISTRIBUTION A. Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. OPSEC 9459
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2025 09:14 |
| Story ID: | 492112 |
| Location: | DETROIT ARSENAL, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 953 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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