This past year, we drove on the moon. In simulation, anyway. 

The University of Iowa’s longstanding leadership in driving simulation research was on full display at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, last May where NASA hosted a workshop on “Lunar Autonomy Mobility” for the South Pole Pathfinder/Rover project. 

The DSRI team — with help from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Leeds — presented to NASA about simulation capabilities, digital twins, and their experience turning the NADS-1 simulator into a moon rover simulation. They simulated the look and feel of driving across the surface of the moon. 

Daniel McGehee, DSRI director, opened the workshop with a presentation on the University of Iowa’s rich history in driving simulation and simulation capabilities for supporting advanced lunar rover studies. Other University of Iowa presenters included Chris Schwarz, director of engineering and modeling research at DSRI, and Hiroyuki Sugiyama, professor of mechanical engineering. 

They were joined by two distinguished University of Iowa alumni: Dan Negrut from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Richard Romano, University of Leeds, who currently serves in a leadership role at General Motors’ lunar rover program. 

“Having five senior engineers and scientists with such deep experience in vehicle dynamics, human systems engineering, and simulation highlights the global impact of the University of Iowa’s programs in this field,” said McGehee.

See also: Chris Schwarz's appearance on Iowa Public Radio's "River to River"