Program

ISTVS 8th Americas Conference

Conference Themes — Overview

• Trucks and cars

• Military vehicles

• Construction, forestry, and mining equipment

• Farm tractors and machinery

• Unmanned ground vehicles for military, space exploration, and other areas

Additionally, a panel discussion entailing future research thrusts in terramechanics, mobility, energy efficiency, and off/on-road automotive and ground vehicle engineering for complex terrain and cyber environments will be conducted with the participation of ISTVS leading researchers and automotive industry.

» Full Conference Program (PDF)

TARDEC // MRAP

Program Highlights

Day 0 // The conference begins Sunday evening September 11, 2016, with our ever-popular Ice Breaker Party — you’ll have the opportunity to interact informally with colleagues from all over the world. Days 1-3 // Enjoy presentations and plenary sessions, including our awards programs and meals over Monday-Wednesday, September 12-14, 2016. Technical Tour // The conference includes our popular and valuable technical tour on Wednesday morning. This year we will have a guided technical tour of the Laboratory Facilities at the US Army's TARDEC. Transportation provided.

For your convenience: Transportation // Transportation from the airport to the Marriott Hotel will be arranged for a fixed budgeted amount. Meals // All continental breakfasts, lunches and coffee breaks are included and organized in the Marriott Hotel.

Conference Agenda-at-Glance

September 11 // Sunday

• ISTVS Board Meeting

• Afternoon — Registration and Ice Breaker Party for All Conference Attendees and their Registered Guests (RSVP required at the registration)

September 12 // Monday

• Continental Breakfast Conference Official Opening

• Technical Paper Sessions

• Lunch Time and Industry Booth Exhibit

• Evening — Banquet Dinner and Music Concert for All Conference Attendees and their Registered Guests (RSVP required at the registration)

September 13 // Tuesday

• Continental Breakfast

• Morning — Technical Panel Discussion: Future research directions in terramechanics/mobility and off/on-road vehicle engineering for complex road/terrain and cyber environments With panelists: Dr. David Gorsich // Chief Scientist, US Army TARDEC Ken Mick // Senior Director, Advanced Programs and Technology, General Dynamics Land Systems Dr. Thomas Gillespie // Mechanical Simulation Corporation Michael Kirk // Director of Driveline and Axle Engineering, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles Dr. Sally Shoop // ERDC, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Dr. Lutz Richter // ISTVS Secretary General, OHB System Dr. Vladimir Vantsevich (Moderator)
• Working Lunch — “Snowmobile Contest,” Presentation by Michigan Technological University

• Industry Booth Exhibit

• Technical Paper Sessions

• ISTVS Robotics Group Meeting (Dr. Lutz Richter)

• Free Late Afternoon and Evening Time — please plan in advance your business meetings with companies in the American Automotive Capital and your pleasure time at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Zoo, restaurants in Birmingham

September 14 // Wednesday

• Continental Breakfast

• Morning — Technical Tour to the US Army TARDEC Laboratory Facilities. Early tour registration and RSVP is required in order to receive approval to attend. Please refer to the conference website for details on tour registration information and due dates.

• Technical Paper Sessions

• Lunch Time and Industry Booth Exhibit

• Afternoon — Best Paper Awards, Conference Summary and Conclusion, Next ISTVS Conference Information

flickr // Jeep, North American International Auto Show, Detroit 2008

Topics to be covered

The conference will take place over 3 days. There will be a poster session during the conference. A panel discussion “Future research direction in terramechanics, mobility, energy efficiency and off/on-road vehicle engineering for complex terrain and cyber environments” will be conducted with the participation of ISTVS leading researchers and automotive industry. Technical presentations and group discussions are planned during the dinner and lunch time.

The following technical symposia are planned:

1. Terramechanics, locomotion, and soil/terrain modeling (three symposia) 1.1. Recent accomplishments in terramechanics research and education 1.2. Locomotion systems 1.3. Soil and terrain modeling and characterization These three symposia concentrate on new research directions in terramechanics science and its applications to vehicle engineering and academic education, including areas of modeling, computer simulation and design of tire/wheel, track and other locomotion/vehicle systems, various types of soil and snow modeling and characterization, uncertainties and stochastic characteristics of vehicle-environment interaction.

2. Advances in mobility, energy efficiency, and ground vehicle dynamics Topics include analytical and experimental methods of energy efficiency improvement, terrain vehicle mobility off-line and real-time estimation, operational and tactical vehicle mobility, agile dynamics and performance in severe environmental and traffic conditions, coupled and interactive dynamics of vehicle multi-physics systems, conflicting multi-input-output system dynamics.

3. Agricultural, forestry, construction, and mining equipment This symposium invites papers on specifics of mobility, vehicle dynamics and design of farm tractors and machinery, construction and forestry equipment, earth moving, and mining machines. Topics include energy efficiency and engineering productivity, power hop, mobility, etc.

4. Mobile robotics for ground applications, planet exploration, and other environments Papers on planet vehicle exploration, mobile ground robots, underwater and surface robotic vehicles are invited to present advances in mission/task fulfilment, mobility and energy efficiency, dynamics and innovative system designs.

5. Military ground vehicle robotics This symposium covers surface and topographical terrain mobility, operational and tactical mobility, battlefield mobility of unmanned and remotely controlled vehicles and vehicle convoys. Topics include, but not limited to, agile performance and adaptive perception of vehicle dynamics, optimization of the required motion and mission accomplishment with minimal energy consumption.

6. Innovative system designs for terrain and road vehicle applications This symposium focuses on innovative system designs and controls, sensing and actuation with mechatronic implementation in conventional and driverless vehicle applications. Topics include, but not limited to, cyber-physical systems in vehicle dynamics, mobility and agility control, sensor/data fusion, vehicle system communication and connected vehicles, active and passive safety and vehicle protection.

UAB Vehicle and Robotics Engineering Laboratory // UGV in test at the National Soil Dynamics Laboratory

Conference in detail

The aim of the conference is to further advance knowledge in terrain-vehicle and road-vehicle system dynamics and design and, thus, to discuss and suggest new frontiers and research directions, facilitate engineering practice, and benefit the society at large in the area of the energy conservation, environmental sustainability, safety, and cyber/physical security.

Objectives of the Conference:

1. Present recent research and engineering accomplishments and achievements to engineering colleagues and peers

2. Discuss research findings, exchange information and share new knowledge with engineering colleagues and peers

3. Discuss and suggest new frontiers and research directions in the ISTVS area

4. Attract automotive industry and robotics engineering companies to the Conference and ISTVS activities

5. Expand participation of government research agencies and academia (faculty, research staff and students) in the Conference and ISTVS activities

6. Present accomplishments of the Journal of Terramechanics and discuss its future plans

7. Discuss and suggest new university-level education courses and programs in the ISTVS area

8. Discuss new events for future ISTVS conferences, including workshops, seminars, etc.

9. Network and establish new research and engineering contacts for national and international collaboration and partnership between industry, academia and government research agencies in research, engineering and university-level education

10. Visit an engineering company and learn more about new places and cultures.

The objectives will be achieved through:

1. Discussions at the Board of Directors’ meeting

2. Presentations and discussion of research papers at six symposia

3. Conducting a panel discussion with the participation of ISTVS leading researchers and automotive industry

4. Arranging poster sessions

5. Presentations at the dinner and lunch time

6. Discussions of the four groups that were previously established: Planetary Rovers and Mobile Robotics; ISTVS Standards; Terramechanics; Off-Road Vehicle Dynamics

7. A tour to a ground engineering company in the Detroit area