Army partners with Clemson to create autonomous armored vehicle models

GREENVILLE, S.C. — A university in South Carolina is teaming up with the U.S. Army to create models for self-driving military vehicles.

The research project at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville will be funded by a $18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, the university said Tuesday in a news release.

The money will fund a new center, The Virtual Prototyping of Ground Systems Center, that will serve as the force behind the project’s aim “to develop virtual prototyping tools supporting the rapid transformation of U.S. Army fleets,” the school said. More than 60 Clemson faculty members across multiple engineering departments will be involved in the effort.

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University President Jim Clements thanked U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for their “hard work” to bring the project to life, and said the project will “pave the way for opportunities for our faculty, our students and our state.”

Researchers at the school will partner with the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center and the program is envisioned to last several years.