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On Campus

SU research center to develop policies for drones, self-driving cars

Daniel Strauss | Business Columnist

Autonomous systems are expected to capture a global market size of $14 trillion within 10 years, Chancellor Kent Syverud said.

By Casey Darnell

Syracuse University plans to launch a research center focusing on studying emerging technology like self-driving cars and drone delivery systems, according to a Wednesday SU News release.

Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the autonomous systems institute in a speech on Jan. 14. He said that within 10 years, autonomous systems are expected to have a global market size of $14 trillion.

“However, our world has not addressed the impact these systems will have on society, on our law, on our policy, on our governance,” Syverud said.

Syverud said during his speech that SU was working on a “truly interdisciplinary effort” to launch the center that will help the world adopt new technologies.

The initiative will work across schools and colleges to develop policies and legal frameworks focused on autonomous systems, according to the release. Jamie Winders, chair of SU’s department of geography, will lead the initiative, per the release.



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Anna Henderson | Digital Design Editor

SU’s initiative aims to fill the gap between emerging technologies and existing government policies, per the release. Possible areas of collaboration across SU include public policy experts at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, legal scholars in the College of Law and research in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, according to the release.

SU could utilize a 50-mile autonomous systems corridor that is now used by the Federal Aviation Administration for testing and developing unmanned aerial systems, according to the release.

The university’s hiring initiatives — the Signatures Hires Initiative and Cluster Hires Initiative — would help support the autonomous systems initiative, per the release. Syverud said at his speech that 200 faculty hires will be made in the next five years through Signature Hires, which requires new faculty to both teach and conduct research.

Syverud also announced a new infrastructure institute meant to accommodate the nation’s growing population during his Jan. 14 speech.

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