The International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems (ISTVS) was founded in 1962 at the request of the General Assembly of the First International Conference on the Mechanics of Soil-Vehicle Systems held in Turin, Italy. The motivation behind this was to acquire and advance knowledge of the mechanics of terrain-vehicle systems and machinery interacting with soils in all environments.

ISTVS is an educational, non-profit, non-political, organization incorporated in the State of North Carolina, USA.

The mission of the society is . . .

• To advance the knowledge in terrain-vehicle (machine) systems for improvements in engineering practice and for innovation;

• In the terrain-vehicle domain, to promote the transfer of advanced knowledge to the user for the benefit of society at large in environmental protection, energy conservation, and sustainable development.

The ISTVS Board of Directors

The governing body of the Society is the Board of Directors, consisting of the President, two Vice-Presidents, the General Secretary, the Deputy General Secretaries, the Regional or National Secretaries, the Publications Executive, and the immediate Past President.

Current Officers  |  Current National Secretaries

Our members

Participation in the activities of ISTVS is by membership. You can either become: an Individual Member; a Student Member; a Fellow Member; a Corporate Member with affiliated individuals.

Qualifications of Members  Potential members need to be confirmed by the General Secretary, a Deputy General Secretary, or a Regional or National Secretary.

Activities

ISTVS holds international and regional conferences. In any given year, one conference takes place. The Society also runs the Journal of Terramechanics, published by Elsevier, one of the most authoritative scientific publications in the field.

The Society also operates technical groups, one of which is dedicated to robotic vehicles including planetary rovers for space exploration.

History of the ISTVS

The International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems (ISTVS) was founded in 1962 at the request of the General Assembly of the First International Conference on the Mechanics of Soil-Vehicle Systems held in Turin, Italy. The motivation behind this was to acquire and advance knowledge of the mechanics of terrain-vehicle systems and machinery interacting with soils in all environments.

Four decades after its founding, the ISTVS meets the new challenges of the 21st century. 

It is generally agreed that the field of terrain-vehicle (machine) systems is an engineering/applied science discipline. Consequently it must have a strong focus on practical applications. The vitality of the discipline and of the ISTVS depends to a great extent on its ability to contribute to the advancement of knowledge that would lead to improvements in engineering practice or to innovations that industry needs. Any thriving professional body in the engineering/applied science field has the support and participation of the industry and related user community that it is supposed to serve.

It should be pointed out that off-road vehicles, earthmoving and construction equipment, agricultural and forestry machinery and related industries have been and will continue to be of great importance to the global economy. Consequently, the ISTVS can play a significant role in the future development of these industries and hence the world economy.

In honor of our fiftieth anniversary in 2012, we published a historical look at the genesis of terramechanics and Xterramechanics, Terramechanics Around the World: Celebrating Fifty Years of ISTVS, 1962-2012.