Newlab and partners from the State of Michigan’s Department of Transportation (MDOT), MEDC's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), Ford’s Michigan Central, and Airspace Link, have launched the Advanced Aerial Mobility Studio to advance aerial mobility technology and industry adoption.

Eschewing innovation theater, this program is designed to address real industry challenges in areas such as supply chain logistics, healthcare delivery, and emergency services. By providing access to critical infrastructure and partnerships, the initiative aims to fast-track startups from testing to commercialization.

Michigan's Strategic Advantage

The choice to run these pilot programs in Michigan is strategic. The state offers a unique combination of a well-established manufacturing base, a strong supply chain, and the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region (AAIR) that provides a testing ground for AAM technologies. This environment enables startups to develop and deploy solutions that can immediately impact industry needs.

A historic mobility hub, Michigan boasts a wealth of automotive expertise ready to transition into air mobility development. Newlab Detroit member blueflite® is a quintessential example — a drone-based logistics platform, blueflite® was founded in 2018 by former automotive talent looking to transition to drone manufacturing. They are now participating in the Advanced Aerial Mobility Studio, where they’ll be working alongside DroneUp, an autonomous drone delivery company, and Munson Healthcare, Northern Michigan’s leading healthcare system, to validate the potential of drones as an efficient solution for transporting medical samples in rural areas.

Newlab’s Role

As a partner in the Advanced Aerial Mobility Studio, Newlab serves as a sourcing and structuring resource for both demand-side partners, such as Munson Healthcare, and startups, such as blueflite® and DroneUp. As an advisor to the State of Michigan and Michigan Central, Newlab assists in defining and driving the state-level strategy through activating meaningful pilots designed to achieve real-world outcomes.

Newlab has also made significant investments in AAM, including two venture investments in Aerialoop and Lamarr.AI. Each investment received additional non-dilutive pilot funding and expansion funding from the State of Michigan.

The Pilot Projects

The pilot projects will be funded, in part, by a $6.25 million sum from the state of Michigan through the AAM Activation Fund, a joint effort between MDOT, OFME, and MEDC. These entities aim to create high-tech jobs, increase the competitiveness of the state’s existing industries, advance research, and solve real-world challenges.

These pilots include:

• Shore-to-ship drone delivery Skyports, a drone services company, will test shore-to-ship drone delivery services on the Great Lakes, in partnership with Interlake Steamships, a freight ship company. The pilot goal is to reduce emissions and optimize maritime logistics.
• Rural healthcare Munson Healthcare will partner with DroneUp and blueflite® to de-risk the operational, commercial, and technical viability of delivering lab samples across Munson’s network of facilities, as well as improve rural health and response efforts around Lake Michigan.
• Thermal imaging Lamarr.ai, an autonomous solution for rapid building envelope diagnostics, will perform a building envelope scan on multiple residential properties in the AAIR with an autonomous drone operating from beyond visual line-of-sight (“BVLOS”). This pilot aims to increase the efficiency of thermal image data aggregation and achieve energy savings. 
• Middle-mile logistics Aerialoop, a drone delivery company, will pilot the delivery of automotive and micro-mobility parts from Beacon Manufacturing’s warehouse on 23rd Street to Newlab’s campus at Michigan Central, representing a 1.2 mile distance. The goal of this pilot is to achieve time and cost savings, validate a potentially repeatable middle-mile delivery loop, and reduce emissions.
• Blood delivery In partnership with Henry Ford Health, Newlab @ Michigan Central is validating opportunities to more efficiently transport medical supplies between campuses, starting with blood.
• Multi-modal charging stations BETA Technologies will install multimodal chargers at four Michigan airports to establish an intrastate charging network for next-gen aircrafts.‍

Michigan Central will enhance AAM infrastructure in Detroit via the AAIR to facilitate each pilot and support BVLOS UAS operations.

The program is structured to ensure that every effort contributes to tangible industry outcomes. Startups benefit from direct access to resources and infrastructure that can accelerate their path to market. At the same time, corporate partners have the opportunity to influence the development of these cutting-edge technologies, ensuring they meet the practical demands of the industry.

About the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region: A Game-Changing Development for Founders and Drone Operators

The Advanced Aerial Innovation Region (AAIR), a 3-mile aerial zone with cross-border routes located at Michigan Central (where Newlab is also located), is a coordinated ecosystem designed to rapidly accelerate drone development by focusing on solving real-world problems at commercial scale. A first-of-its-kind integrated infrastructure project, AAIR is made possible through a public-private partnership with MDOT Aeronautics.

A transformative development, participating drone operators and startups will benefit from:

• FAA BVLOS Waiver support, including a dedicated FAA Project Manager
• Open access to shared airspace and infrastructure, allowing for the safe testing drone operations in an urban environment
• Secure launch and landing zones to support concurrent operations
• Standardized technical systems and data to support safety case development
• Visual observers and remote pilots
• Flight planning, conformance monitoring, and strategic deconfliction

Why BVLOS is Essential to the Advancement of Aerial Mobility

Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations are critical for the advancement of drones and the expansion of their commercial and industrial applications. BVLOS enables drone operators to:

• Cover much larger areas than are currently possible with Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) operations, allowing for improved monitoring of large geographic swaths.
• Perform longer missions without the need for multiple pilots or manual handoffs, reducing operational costs and increasing efficiency.
• Scale up drone operations – BVLOS allows for more complex and widespread deployments.

As drone regulations mature, sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, logistics, oil and gas, and telecommunications stand to benefit heavily from BVLOS operations. Enabling laws for BVLOS is crucial for driving economic growth in the drone industry.

Flight data from pilot programs within the AAIR will feed into efforts to push BVLOS regulatory frameworks forward, providing crucial data that can be used to demonstrate the safety and reliability of drone operations to regulators.

Shaping the Future of Mobility

Newlab and its partners are committed to leading the way in aerial mobility. This initiative is a practical, outcome-driven effort to move the industry forward, continuing Michigan’s legacy of mobility leadership. We invite innovators and industry leaders to join us in this effort, driving real change and advancing the future of transportation.

Interested in participating in this program? Learn more and get in touch with us.