Two UCF Knights are using digital twin technology to help simulate real-world environments for defense trainings.  

Zack Zuniga and Liam Etan ’24, co-founders of ZuLeris Interactive, developed a new tool called the Automated Terrain and Location Awareness System: ATLAS, a terrain generation system that creates a digital twin of any real-world environment. ATLAS is one of several technologies the duo has implemented through ZuLeris, a UCF-supported start-up aimed at revolutionizing electromagnetic warfare training through interactive, gamified solutions. 

“ATLAS automates accurate terrain generation based on overhead imagery and elevation data at scale,” Etan says. “ATLAS is fully operational and already being demonstrated in an Electromagnetic Warfare Virtual Training Environment (EWVTE).”  

The tool was created in response to the growing need for reliable mission rehearsal resources. For Zuniga and Etan, it was imperative that they satisfy this pain point not only for themselves, but for their stakeholders. 

“Accurate digital twin terrains are crucial for effective mission rehearsal,” Etan says. “Recognizing a market gap for high-fidelity, game-ready environments, we made the strategic decision to vertically integrate our product development, rather than settling for commercially available solutions. We then realized that there is a potential opportunity to offer these capabilities to other simulation companies.” 

Interest in digital twin simulation technology has grown in recent years, and in response, the UCF School of Modeling, Simulation and Training will launch a graduate certificate in digital twins this fall.  

Building a Startup from the Ground Up 

As digital twin technology continues to grow in popularity, ZuLeris is an example of what’s possible with university support. 

Zuniga, a dual major in electrical and photonics engineering, and Etan, a mechanical engineering graduate, founded ZuLeris with the help of the UCF Business Incubation Program. Zuniga and Etan’s idea for gamified training originally began as a Senior Design project for the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Entrepreneurship for Defense course (E4D), a program that helps students connect with Department of Defense agencies and consult with experienced professionals in the field.  

DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) supplies military problems for entrepreneurship innovation courses like UCF’s E4D. Beverly Seay, a DIU Senior Strategic Advisor, has been a primary supporter of the start-up from the beginning.  

“She gave us a platform to speak with a myriad of people who were in and out of the military world and introduced us to the network we have here at UCF,” Zuniga says. 

Seay serves on the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s Advisory Board and UCF trustee emeritus. In 2023, Seay helped ZuLeris secure a booth at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the largest modeling and simulation conference in the world. Shortly thereafter, she also encouraged Zuniga and Etan to apply for internships offered by DIU.  

“Not only did we find this problem that we can actually solve as individuals, as a company, we also found this community and this culture that loves helping students as much as we love helping the military solve its problems,” Zack says. “This nice little ecosystem we have here at UCF was really the pool for us to say, ‘Let’s start a company.’” 

After finishing E4D, Zuniga and Etan were able to take their modernized training concept all the way to US Central Command leadership through the completion of Innovation Oasis II, a competition hosted by U.S. Central Command that aims to implement quality ideas and concepts created by both service members and civilians. It was after presenting their gamified training concept to high-ranking members of U.S. Central Command that the duo got the idea to start a business.  

The duo has successfully created tools such as their Electromagnetic Warfare Virtual Training Environment and Augmented Virtual Environment that are designed to modernize mission training in a highly engaging format.  

“Zack and Liam embody exactly what we hope to see from student innovators — taking a real defense challenge, applying cutting-edge technology, and building a solution with impact far beyond the classroom. Their work with ZuLeris shows how the right mix of talent, mentorship, and opportunity can accelerate innovation for the military and industry alike,” said Beverly Seay, DIU Senior Strategic Advisor. 

The two entrepreneurs recognized early on that adding gamification to their products was essential to meeting the training needs of today’s service members.  

“The warfighters who are trying to understand this type of training don’t want to sit there and listen to PowerPoint presentations all day,” Zuniga says. “They want to work with something interactive and fun. Something that they can engage with.”