Michigan Central and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have announced the launch of a new aerial urban initiative in Detroit that would provide open, shared infrastructure and services to drone startups. The two-year Advanced Aerial Innovation Region project aims to foster commercial drone development in the state while catalyzing new high-skill jobs.
Covering a 3-mile radius around Michigan Central, the project will provide participating drone operators with access to skills training and operational support. Pilot programs to test potential commercial drone uses ranging from delivery of medical supplies, consumer goods, and manufacturing materials to infrastructure inspection are expected to launch early next year. Flight data from all pilots will feed the initiative’s overarching goal to drive drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
The government has also roped in private entities Newlab and Airspace Link as strategic partners to support development in the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region. Newlab, which is a deep-tech venture platform, will mobilize startups and industry partners through pilot projects aimed at de-risking and accelerating the commercial scale of high-value drone use cases. And Airspace Link will create digital maps to support safe operations in a real-world urban environment.
“This first-of-its-kind collaboration will be the framework that puts Detroit in the fast lane for advanced aerial innovation and job creation,” says Carolina Pluszczynski, Michigan Central’s chief operating officer. “As we start launching pilot projects next year, we will prioritize ideas that bridge equity gaps, improve safety, and make it easier for people to access the goods and services they need.”
The Advanced Aerial Innovation Region initiative builds on an MDOT, Michigan Central and Michigan Aeronautics Commission (MAC) study that analyzed the potential societal and economic benefits of the commercial use of drones. The study also looked at the feasibility of flying BVLOS drones along key corridors in southeast Michigan and Canada’s Ontario.
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Image courtesy: Stephen McGee/Michigan Central
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