Ph.D. student Ruimin Ke, from the STAR Lab, was featured on KIRO 7 for his work on a collision avoidance project, which entails gathering data from 38 buses in the Seattle area that are testing out pilot technology that displays a warning to bus drivers when cars, pedestrians and cyclists get too close to the bus. Watch the video.

The project is being undertaken through a partnership between the STAR Lab and Washington State Transit Insurance Pool, with the goal of reducing the frequency and severity of transit vehicle collisions. The pilot technology consists of three displays in close proximity to bus drivers, at the left, center and right of the dashboard, which turn yellow or red to alert them about potential risks. The displays also indicate if the speed limit is being exceeded and if the bus is too close to the car ahead.

Ke is currently collecting data from the 38 buses, which are from transit agencies including King County Metro and Kitsap Transit. Each bus is tracked, and video is collected from each incident when the warnings go off. The STAR Lab is developing a methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of the collision avoidance system.