The Grizzly meets a long-standing requirement for a vehicle that can defeat complex obstacles yet maintain the pace of maneuver forces on the battlefield. The requirement for a mobile, survivable, counter-obstacle/counter-mine vehicle has existed since the advent of armored warfare. Minefields, barbwire entanglements, tank ditches, and other fortifications are often used in combination to divert, deny, and paralyze the forward momentum of mechanized forces during offensive operations. Grizzly will meet this operational shortfall, most recently highlighted again during Operation Desert Storm.  The Grizzly is a highly automated drive-by-wire vehicle with numerous on-board computers and specialty software developed by United Defense and its subcontractors.

UDLP was awarded a modification under the Grizzly contract for the Grizzly Engineering and Training System (GETS). The GETS is a stand-alone mobile, crew trainer developed to augment operator training on the Grizzly prototype vehicles. The GETS is comprised of the following subsystems: a crew station, a motion base, a power supply, a computational system and an instructor’s station. GETS simulates the necessary functions of the Grizzly vehicle with emphasis on the combat mobility functions. The GETS is capable of simultaneously training a commander and driver in selected functions. The system will provide a system response to stimulation similar to the Grizzly

system. The system as its development continued, simulated the reduction of obstacles, which are common to the mission profile, and the crew is capable of reducing the obstacles and moving forward in the simulation environment. The GETS provides the following functions: driving, manual plowing, automatic plowing, Power Driven Arm (PDA) operation, vision, Soldier Machine Interface (SMI) and internal communications.

Dynamic Animation Systems, under contract to United Defense, provided dynamic terrain capability for the GETS. DAS has developed a first of its kind algorithm to dynamically alter the terrain mesh in real time. The algorithm first tessellates the terrain, then calculates the changes in the terrain due to the Grizzly plowing or digging. The vertices are moved to their new position and the terrain mesh is simplified. Finally, new textures are applied to provide the correct visual representation. All this is done on the fly in real-time. This capability is an essential part of this soldier training system, and it is the first time dynamic terrain will be available to the engineering community within a real-time, human-in-the-loop simulator.

DAS engineers provided on-site integration during the simulator production and technical assistance at the 1999 AUSA trade show while it was on display. Our dynamic terrain capability was integrated into the GETS in the fall, 1999. Enhancements were added in the Spring, 2000. The GETS currently resides at TACOM in Warren, MI.