STORRS -- A new simulation lab in an engineering building at UConn is a full-sized mocked up simulator that immerses drivers courtesy of a modified Ford Fusion.
The lab is the UConn Engineering Department's new endeavor to help drivers down the road, literally.
According to Eric Jackson, the director of the transportation safety research center at UConn, the simulator will help educators, students and the public, better understand the increasing presence of autonomous vehicles.
"There are substantial safety benefits that will come from automated self-driving cars," Jackson said. "And it's not just self driving cars, it's connected vehicles too."
The new lab, a $400,000 project, opened in June and is a collaboration between the Connecticut Department of Transportation and UConn.