Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | August 15, 2022 15 hoping to attract run the gamut from car manufacturers and communica- tions firms to software and energy companies. Cortese and Jackson said about two dozen companies — from Connecticut, throughout the United States and even globally — have already expressed interest in the test track facility. Five companies, which the partners declined to iden- tify, have committed to being part of the project when the test track opens. Preliminary plans for the site, Jackson said, include a loop stretching about three-quarters of a mile that would allow cars to drive as fast as 65 miles per hour. The vehi- cles would encircle roadways and replicate city and rural driving condi- tions, complete with faux buildings, vehicles and people. The short- and long-term potential for such a test track is endless, Jackson said. "We will have autonomous and connected vehicles that can avoid crashes and also Smart City tech- nologies and, moving forward, into drones and possibly flying modes of transportation," Jackson said. Jackson said he envisions that major car manufacturers would test their vehicles at the facility with the goal of using the latest technology to make those cars safer to drive. In the short term, Jackson said, they are looking to build smart technology that would allow cars to communicate with each other and/ or traffic signals to avoid crashes. He said technology for driverless cars is still decades away, before potential widespread adoption. The facility – which is expected to be manned by 22 researchers, mostly from UConn, to start – will also provide opportunities for startups, Jackson said. Examples could include an artificial intelligence company that develops cameras or sensors that help navi- gate a vehicle or assist the driver; or a company that builds smart traffic signals, he said. Part of the goal of the test track facility is to save lives, Jackson said. According to the Connecticut Depart- ment of Transportation, about 180 people have died in the state from traffic-related deaths this year as of July, a 45% increase from the same time last year. University of Michigan There are only a few autono- mous-vehicle testing tracks in the country, most at colleges, including Virginia Tech and the University of Michigan, which has the 32-acre MCity site in Ann Arbor. Cortese said he visited the University of Michigan track several years ago to get a sense of how it operates. Jim Lollar, MCity test facilities manager, said the University of Michigan facility is a public/private partnership that opened in July 2015, with more than 60 clients. Today it has about 25 clients — UConn engineering professor Eric Jackson is director of the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center in Storrs and the brainchild behind plans to open a autonomous vehicle test track facility. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER including State Farm Insurance, Verizon and Ford — that use the latest technologies with the goals of making roads safer for motorists. For example, Lollar said the track has the latest 5G technologies that offer clients faster data communica- tion speeds necessary for autono- mous vehicles. "We provide capabilities that users put in place to test things like lane departure warnings, or technology so a car knows it's leaving a lane when snow is on the ground," Lollar said. "We provide an environment here for them to test." Cortese said it's difficult – at this point – to pinpoint exactly how many jobs could be created by his planned facility, but "in terms of the science, this can put Connecticut on the map for artificial intelligence driving and safety research." "We expect to garner interest from all corners of the globe," he said. Here's A Glimpse of Our Bank Portfolio... Building banks is a specialty of ours. Over the years, PDS has had the great privilege of working closely and often with some of the area's most respected banks, including TD Bank and Webster Bank. These projects have ranged from new construction to general renovation, including several new free standing buildings, one of which incorporated the latest TD Bank design with LEED Platinum credentials. In addition, we have completed fast track interior fi t-outs with all new fi nishes specifi c to our client's design needs. With in-house disciplines of engineering from civil to mechanical, PDS can design the right building to fi t your budget and timeline. SPOTLIGHT ON: COMMERICAL 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 | 860.242.8586 | pdsec.com THINK • PLAN • BUILD 4,000 SF | Wallingford, CT 4,000 SF | Norwalk, CT Various Interior Renovations

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