James Baxter

Automotive Research Center

The Automotive Research Center (ARC) is a University-based U.S. Army Center of Excellence for modeling and simulation of military and civilian ground systems. It represents the key basic research partner of the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) in Warren, Michigan. Our mission is to develop cutting-edge modeling and simulation knowledge and technology for discovering and assessing critical ground vehicle systems. Our focus is on autonomous ground vehicle systems capable of operating in highly stochastic, harsh and uncontrolled environments while facing adversarial threats and constrained fuel supplies. These systems perform with high mobility and survivability over a variety of terrain, with high adaptability and teaming capabilities. Such research encompasses technological elements, human factors and social behavior which must work in harmony in a successful system-level design. Our efforts create new ideas and de-risk innovative approaches to result in attainable technologies for capable, optimal, reliable, and survivable vehicles with high mobility. The ARC relies on the collaboration of researchers from multiple universities and convergence of multiple disciplines to bridge fundamental technology gaps. The ARC deploys basic scientific discoveries to address army-relevant challenges in partnership with industry and to leverage and transfer our models, methods and results.