Digital drone safety infrastructure services provider Airspace Link has completed a successful 10-day flight operation showcasing a real-world drone transportation program for the movement of critical medical items. With the help of a Michigan Mobility Funding (MMFP) grant from the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, Airspace Link brought together drone operator MissionGO, Beaumont Health, and metropolitan Detroit community leaders to perform Michigan’s first real-world package delivery operations via an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS).

“Participation with the city, country and state will assist in driving successful end results, including economic growth and new, sustainable mobility options for residents and businesses over time. We’re currently deployed in over ten communities throughout the state of Michigan and look forward to continuing to work together to propel Michigan forward as a leader in drone innovation,” says Michael Healander, co-founder and CEO of Airspace Link.

Data collected from the 10-day test-run will include a transportation impact analysis which includes an assessment of the ability to reduce carbon emissions if drones were to take on a portion of automotive deliveries.

Silicon Valley company Cepton, a supplier of light detection and ranging (lidar) units to General Motors, has opened a new corporate office in metropolitan Detroit. The office will serve as the company’s automotive hub as it continues to expand its active engagements and initiatives with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The new office in Troy will provide space for program management, application engineering, corporate marketing, sales, business development, and product storage.

“As we continue to expand our engagements with all of the top 10 global OEMs, locating our experienced team in Detroit will serve us well,” said Jun Pei, co-founder and CEO of Cepton. “Our expanded footprint will help us reach our goal of making lidar a standard safety feature in the cars of today and the key component in the autonomous vehicles of the future.”

With increased cyber threats from nation-states and other bad actors, along with additional compliance requirements coming down from federal agencies and OEMs, it is necessary for Michigan based manufacturers and suppliers to protect themselves. Cybersecurity is not only critical for these individual companies, but also critical to the state’s broader economy. That’s why Saginaw-based Defense Supplier UMBRAGROUP has partnered with St. Johns-based BitLyft Cybersecurity to secure its smart manufacturing operations.

“We want to be at the top of our game for midsize businesses in aerospace and defense. BitLyft being a Michigan company was one of the first advantages,” said Joe Sheridan, U.S. director of IT for Linear Motion, LLC (a division of UMBRAGROUP). “It impressed me that they wanted to learn everything about our business and adjusted to what we needed.”

UMBRAGROUP, headquartered in Italy, produces ball screws, electromechanical actuators, and high precision mechanical and mechatronic components for the aerospace market, and has capitalized on their specialities by investing in innovative projects and research while prioritizing security.

BitLyft, based in Saint Johns, brings its unique approach to security to the partnership, as they’ve invested in researching and understanding federal guidelines and compliance requirements for manufacturing companies that are part of the nation’s supply chain. In addition, its BitLyft AIR platform can automate and/or combine multiple security offerings into one solution, allowing security analysts to essentially do more with less.

MICHauto, the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, and Plug and Play Detroit hosted a Mobility Meetup on June 21 at the Detroit Smart Parking Lab, welcoming more than 135 guests from across the auto tech industry. The event featured live demonstrations from Bosch, Yoshi, HEVO, It’s Electric and Knightscope.

The City of Detroit has issued a request for information (RFI) to gather feedback from automated driving systems (ADS) providers and their capability to meet city requirements while helping to create a more effective ADS program. To view the RFI, complete the following steps:

• Register for the city’s supplier portal
• Visit here
• Select negotiation #182506

OFME and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have partnered to launch the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform (MMFP) aimed at providing vital grant funding to mobility and electrification companies of all sizes looking to deploy their technology in Michigan. Grants are focused on catalyzing and scaling mobility solutions across three key areas of focus:

• Sustainable Futures: Improve environmental sustainability by encouraging EV adoption and the buildout of EV charging infrastructure
• Equitable Futures: Alleviate mobility barriers and increase access to affordable and reliable transportation options
• Multimodal Transportation: Modernize existing transportation systems and keep Michigan at the forefront across all connected and autonomous transportation modes

For Michigan-based entities working to address a mobility/electrification challenge or solution providers looking to find a Michigan-based partner, additional Interest Forms are available to support those seeking and providing solutions through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform.

More information about eligibility for testing environments and real-world deployments, as well as past grant recipients, is available here. The current rolling application period ends September 30, 2022.