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By: Eli Freund, Editorial Communications Manager, UConn School of Engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n With a strong interest in autonomous vehicles and their safety, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) visited the Connecticut Transportation Research Safety Center at the University of Connecticut last week, to speak to Director and Engineering Professor Eric Jackson and other officials about the University\u2019s role in advancing the technology.<\/p>\n CTRSC recently received a full-scale driving simulator, located in the center, which is being used to test human interactions with autonomous vehicles and other driving scenarios. Funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and UConn, the car was custom built by Realtime Technologies, a simulation company based in Michigan.<\/p>\n Stepping into the simulator, Blumenthal was able to experience and test its autonomous vehicle mode, and get a first-hand look at the cutting-edge research capabilities of the Center.<\/p>\n Blumenthal is one of a handful of Senators that are leading the charge on safety and the study of autonomous vehicle technology before it goes into the hands of consumers.<\/p>\n On Friday, he stressed the importance of research, because autonomous vehicle technology, still to this day, hasn\u2019t been perfected:<\/p>\n \u201cThe fully autonomous vehicle doesn\u2019t always work, so usually a human has to override it, and I\u2019ve noticed that there is currently a strong need for manual override,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cMaybe not in every instance, but it\u2019s been enough that I\u2019ve insisted on legislation that makes sure we take a safe approach to autonomous vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackson agreed with Blumenthal\u2019s concerns, and relayed that virtual simulation will be an important aspect of autonomous vehicle study, because it eliminates danger:<\/p>\n \u201cThe simulator lets you put people in much more riskier situations, so that if they crash in the simulator, no one gets hurt, which might not be the same scenario if you tested in a real-world situation,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n Reviewing all the information he learned from Jackson, and other UConn officials, Blumenthal remarked that the research going on at UConn is important:<\/p>\n \u201cAutomation of vehicles will definitely be an important technological innovation when it\u2019s fully released to the public,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cBut we want to be cautious, and that\u2019s why I think that UConn is doing some great and important research with this simulator.\u201d<\/p>\n