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Look, ma, no hands!

Assemblyman Robin Schimminger.

Assemblyman Robin Schimminger finds there is no need to take the wheel in the self-driving car. Photo: Douglas Levere

By CORY NEALON

Published June 29, 2016 This content is archived.

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Few recent technological advancements have generated as much buzz as self-driving cars. From Silicon Valley to Detroit and beyond, researchers are working around the clock to bring autonomous vehicles to the masses.

While that’s still a few years away, Western New York got a preview of the future on Friday with a self-driving vehicle demonstration in a North Campus parking lot.

The event — which included UB researchers, elected officials and others — featured a self-driving SUV developed by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), a Texas-based, nonprofit applied research-and-development organization.

Zoom image: Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, right, gets ready to take a spin in the self-driving car. With Poloncarz is William Geary, deputy commissioner of highways for the Erie County Department of Public Works. Photo: Douglas Levere Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, right, gets ready to take a spin in the self-driving car. With Poloncarz is William Geary, deputy commissioner of highways for the Erie County Department of Public Works. Photo: Douglas Levere

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, right, gets ready to take a spin in the self-driving car. With Poloncarz is William Geary, deputy commissioner of highways for the Erie County Department of Public Works. Photo: Douglas Levere

The vehicle, a 2006 Ford Explorer outfitted with roughly $60,000 worth of gear, including computers and perception systems, safely followed a human-driven pickup truck as it took laps around the parking lot. Among those to take a spin in the self-driving car were Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and UB Provost Charles F. Zukoski,

For the event, SwRI partnered with UB’s Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics, and the UB-headquartered Transportation Informatics Tier 1 University Transportation Center — both of which conduct cutting-edge transportation research — and UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

Zoom image: Driver Purser Sturgeon II, a senior research analyst in the cooperative systems section with Southwest Research Institute, explains the systems of the self-driving car to Liesl Folks, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Sturgeon uses the tablet in his left hand to control the car's computerized systems. Photo: Douglas Levere Driver Purser Sturgeon II, a senior research analyst in the cooperative systems section with Southwest Research Institute, explains the systems of the self-driving car to Liesl Folks, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Sturgeon uses the tablet in his left hand to control the car's computerized systems. Photo: Douglas Levere

Driver Purser Sturgeon II, a senior research analyst in the cooperative systems section with Southwest Research Institute, explains the systems of the self-driving car to Liesl Folks, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Sturgeon uses the tablet in his left hand to control the car's computerized systems. Photo: Douglas Levere  

“Transportation affects everything from the natural environment and property values to the competitive advantage of businesses and the safety of pedestrians. To address these complex issues, the University at Buffalo has created a robust and cross-disciplinary research enterprise which focuses on making traffic systems smarter, sustainable and safer for all users,” said SEAS Dean Liesl Folks.

The vehicle, which is designed to follow other vehicles during roadside operations, acts as a buffer between other cars, thus improving safety. Erie County is exploring implementing SwRI’s technology in roadside operations.

“The transportation industry continues to evolve and Erie County is paying close attention to the advances that are being made in roadside operations,” Poloncarz said. “The implementation of anything that can improve the safety of drivers and pedestrians cannot be ignored. We look forward to working with our various partners in government, as well as from the private sector related to the use of autonomous vehicles.”

Founded in 1947, Southwest Research Institute is one of the oldest and largest independent, nonprofit, applied research and development organizations in the U.S.