Connected Autonomy Vehicle Systems in the Age of AI: Onroad, Offroad and Mfg Shop Floor Applications
MIE/ECE Departments Seminar
February 27, 2026
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM America/Chicago
Presenter: Venkat Krovi, PhD, Clemson University
Location: ERF 1043
ABSTRACT: Modern-day Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) represent the merger of “robotics sense-think-act in real-time” with “distributed networked” paradigms, now with the additional challenges of complexity/scale in increasingly dynamic field operations. Further, as embodiments of cyber-physical systems (CPS), performance/value of these CAVs is derived from software-based orchestration of the underlying electromechanical hardware at component, sub-system, system and system-of-systems levels. In this milieu, realizing long-term autonomy with CAVs within a lifecycle framework (design, analysis, refinement, prototyping, validation and operationalization) offers unique science and technology opportunities and challenges.
The principal opportunities now lie in building upon loosely-interconnected modular heterogeneous systems-of-systems and (re-) engineering high-performance/high-confidence operational capacities in the presence of uncertainties in increasingly unstructured operational domains. New AI-enhanced paradigms are emerging to tackle the curse of dimensionality while empowering ability to co-model, co-simulate, co-visualize, co-analyze and co-refine intelligence algorithms (software) together with physical asset (hardware) at multiple scales through the lifecycle.
This talk will provide a high-level programmatic overview of our Clemson ConnectedAutonomy group’s efforts with Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs) capable of operating in complex and dynamic environments (on-road, off-road and the manufacturing shopfloor). The research efforts span: (i) novel data-driven learning approaches (e.g. Koopman Operator Theory, Active Learning); (ii) autonomy-oriented digital-/physical-twinning; (iii) AI-enhanced fielded autonomy; and (iv) systematic verification/validation. To support these efforts, we are also developing modular, open-architecture, open-interface physical- and digital-infrastructure spanning multiple scales and complexity. Vignettes from digital-/physical-twinning efforts across multi-architecture (Ackerman vs skid-steered), multi-scale (1/10 to full-scale) UGV platforms will be presented to showcase our efforts. URL: https://cecas.clemson.edu/armlab-cuicar/
Speaker Bio: Professor Venkat N. Krovi is the Michelin SmartState Chair Professor of Vehicle Automation at Clemson University – International Center for Automotive Research. His research focuses on intelligent modulation of distributed physical-power-interactions (motions/forces) between humans and autonomous-systems to unlock the “power of the many.” Research activities focus on the life-cycle treatment (design, modeling, analysis, control, implementation and verification) of a new generation of ConnectedAutonomy systems for realizing Human-Autonomy synergy in emerging automotive-, plant-automation-, co-robotics-, and defense- applications. He has also taken significant leadership roles within multiple professional societies(IEEE/ASME/SAE) as well as supporting development of the 2020 US Robotics Roadmap. Further details are available from http://cecas.clemson.edu/armlab-cuicar
Date posted
Feb 13, 2026
Date updated
Feb 18, 2026