Gov. Whitmer awards $1.7M to launch 12 Advanced Air Mobility projects statewide

12 pilot projects will demonstrate advanced air mobility technologies in real-world applications across Michigan

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) selected 12 projects that will deploy Advanced Air Mobility technologies across Michigan and demonstrate real-world use cases with the potential to scale, ranging in projects from organ and medical drone deliveries to safer powerline inspections and beyond. 

“Michigan is a leader in mobility innovation, focused on the next phase of technologies that improve how people, goods and essential services move,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “These 12 projects will put advanced air mobility technologies to work in communities across our state, creating opportunities for Michigan businesses, strengthening our innovation ecosystem and helping prepare our workforce for the jobs of the future.”

The awards advance Executive Directive 2025-4, Michigan’s whole-of-government strategy to expand the state’s Advanced Air Mobility capabilities and support the safe integration and deployment of these technologies.

“Michigan’s ability to connect an ecosystem of public and private partners to collaborate on deployments demonstrates our commitment to shared progress," said Michigan Chief Mobility Officer Justine Johnson. "This collaboration pushes us to continuously challenge what it means to transform the future of mobility globally." 

The projects were selected through a competitive process under the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, which is administered and managed by NextEnergy. These projects will deploy statewide, building on Michigan's growing network of real-world testing environments and mobility infrastructure. 

Selected Projects

Airspace Link – $80,000 (Detroit) 

Deploying an Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management service to improve drone safety and access as Detroit’s low-altitude airspace becomes increasingly active. 

Birdstop – $110,000 (Detroit) 

Monitoring truck parking availability 24/7 with autonomous drones from self-charging perches, sending real-time open-space counts to drivers and freight operators.

Blueflite – $70,000 (Detroit) 

Testing Tubular Network’s automated vertical tube system to move packages from rooftop drone drop-off points to their intended floors within the Detroit Smart Parking Lab. 

Blueflite – $245,000 (Ann Arbor) 

Partnering with M-Air to pilot drone-enabled organ delivery operations. 

CENSYS Technologies – $170,000 (Traverse City) 

Demonstrating drone-enabled power line inspections to improve utility infrastructure monitoring. 

ESSPI – $110,000 (Detroit) 

Deploying a real-time oversight system for medical drone deliveries within Detroit’s Transportation Innovation Zone. 

Future Flight Global – $104,000 (Detroit) 

Future Flight Global, in partnership with TruWeather Solutions and Bedrock Detroit, will integrate localized urban wind intelligence with Detroit’s Digital Twin to evaluate its use in drone mission planning, safety risk management and operational decision-making.  

General Orbit – $150,000 (Detroit) 

Testing a magnetic navigation system for unmanned aircraft operating in GPS-degraded and GPS-denied environments within the Transportation Innovation Zone. 

Lamarr AI – $230,000 (Detroit) 

Deploying AI-powered thermal drone inspections across 2M gross square feet of privately owned downtown Detroit buildings to improve façade safety and energy performance. 

ResilienX – $200,000 (Battle Creek) 

Deploying ResilienX’s ORION-X drone services platform in Battle Creek, beginning with a drone-as-first-responder program for the Battle Creek Police Department and with the long-term goal of supporting broader municipal and commercial applications. 

Westwood AI – $100,000 (Calumet) 

Testing AI-assisted drone data capture to generate more accurate aerial information for land and infrastructure inspections. 

Wolverine Radar – $136,000 (Detroit) Testing a satellite-derived hazard warning system to improve UAV route planning within the Transportation Innovation Zone. 

“The breadth of funded activities demonstrates the real-world value being delivered by the strong public private partnerships that have been built through platforms like Michigan Central’s Advanced Aerial Innovation Region,” said Matt Whitaker, Director, Mobility Innovation Platform, Michigan Central. “These companies aren’t just running one-off pilots, they are proving that when provided with the proper support and infrastructure, they are able to develop new-to-world capabilities that will bring value to organizations and residents throughout Michigan.” 

“Detroit has become one of the country’s leading places to test new mobility technology and with these projects, that leadership now extends into our airspace,” said Konner Petz, Head of Special Projects, City of Detroit Office of Mobility Innovation. “These pilots show how the state, the city and private partners can accelerate solving challenges with emerging technologies when working toward a shared goal." 

###

About the State of Michigan Advanced Air Mobility Initiative

On July 17, 2025, Michigan established the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative as a whole-of-government strategy to scale Michigan’s AAM capabilities, ensure safe and efficient integration of these technologies across public and private sectors, and position our workforce, manufacturers and infrastructure as national assets in the deployment of AAM technologies. This initiative will support the Unleashing American Drone Dominance Executive Federal Orders from June of 2025. Read Executive Directive 2025-4.  

About the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME)

The Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification works across state government, academia and private industry to enhance Michigan's mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale-up of emerging technologies and businesses. Learn more at Michigan.gov/OFME.