SUNY Polytechnic Institute established a Transportation Research AI Lab to serve as a hub for innovation in smart transportation, sustainability and equity, as well as traffic operation and safety. This fall, SUNY Poly added a virtual reality simulator to help enhance transportation safety.

The simulator is helping drivers be more alert and safe while traveling.

“It has been a lot of studies that shows if a driver gets a personalized message rather than those general messages that you see on the side of the roadway, work zone ahead or signal light ahead. If I can provide a personalized message, it has much more impact on the driver,” said SUNY Poly Assistant Professor of Transportation Engineering Dr. Abolfazl Karimpour.

TRAIL utilizes data-driven AI and machine learning solutions to address transportation challenges.

“Are we able to provide these personalized message and if I provide these personalized message, how much is it affective? Am I able to change the driver behavior? Am I able to alert them to reduce potential crashes, to reduce potential speeding? That’s the whole idea of these projects that we are doing,” said Karimpour.

Karimpour is able to use students to help with this research.

“It’s really interesting to be able to use the things that we learn in the classroom and the things that I work on as a hobby to make something like this help to have real world applications,” said Vito Valenzano, a research assistant.

Valenzano says there are challenges when it comes to this research, but problem solving makes it rewarding.

“[It increases] my familiarity with all these tools that we are using,” said Valenzano.

“We can use it for refugees who are not able to drive; they can use it for education purposes. We are able to use it for elderly to train and help them drive more safe,” said Karimpour.