Virtual Autonomous Navigation Environment (VANE)

The research described in this paper is developing a high performance computing simulation testbed to produce a Virtual Autonomous Navigation Environment (VANE). The VANE will facilitate virtual testing of unmanned systems for evaluation of autonomous navigation systems and their associated hardware/software subsystems. The research is using mature, new, and emerging technologies to advance a physics-based, terrain-enriched, virtual environment for ground vehicle and terrain interactions based on sensor perceptions. This research is being conducted by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), and it is leveraging capabilities of the Institute for Maneuverability and Terrain Physics Simulation (IMTPS). IMTPS research has been used to develop a successful high performance computing simulation testbed that produces realistic synthetic images that include the effects of geoenvironmental influences involving the ground surface and subsurface, vegetation, and meteorological conditions on sensor responses. The application of the IMTPS research for vehicle, terrain, and sensor interactions is the VANE product. This virtual environment will supplement field evaluations at a reduced cost and with better control and repeatability than can be obtained from physical testing. This paper provides an overview of the approach for developing the VANE.