WORCESTER, Mass. – Transportation leaders and researchers are gathering in Worcester this week for MassDOT’s Transpiration Innovation Conference.

The event allows them to share new technologies and projects to enhance efficiency and address important transportation issues.

An exhibit showed people how vulnerable road users navigate the streets.

MassDOT said the "Empathy at the Intersection" exhibit allowed people to use simulators to see what it's like to drive in an urban environment; to experience being a truck driver; try on a suit which creates the limited mobility and the vision aging people experience when they do things like get on a bus.

"This is really important because what all these people do is think about how we design and how we make our mobility system function for all ranges of people; 8 to 80, any sort of ability,” said Kris Carter, chief innovation officer for MassDOT. “To be able to step into someone else's shoes and have that experience and take that back to your work and think about that as you're designing or operating a system."

Hundreds of people attended the conference at the DCU Center Tuesday.

MassDOT will be there again Wednesday for a second day.