A $32 million contract will create 12 jobs in Geelong after the Australian Defence Force signed off on the deal on Wednesday.
The contract will see a Deakin University-founded company build simulators, which will enable armoured vehicle drivers to train for real-life scenarios.
The company, Universal Motion Simulator, would complete the first of six simulators by 2022, according to its director Kerrie Parker.
“Deakin is proud to be leading the transition from plant-based manufacturing to the advanced manufacturing required of the future,” she said.
“This will enable Australia to not just keep up with the new way of designing, building and using commodities, but to be ahead of the pack.”
The simulator includes a common-motion platform comprising of a robotic arm, an instructor operator station, vehicle-specific software and a cabin.
The cabin simulates the driver’s position of the actual vehicle with replica controls and functions, while the simulation software mimics its physics.
The simulator would enable cost cost-effective driver training for the Australian Army’s Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle, according to Universal Motion Simulator chief executive officer Cameron Selkrig.“It’s essential that our Australian Defence Force has access to world-leading systems, resources and training,” he said.
“But it is equally important for both our security and our economy that they are able to source locally-designed and built technology.”
The systems can also simulate driving an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Australian Army’s future infantry fighting vehicles, according to a government press release.
