Michigan funds 12 drone pilot projects, from organ delivery to a Battle Creek police drone program
The state's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification awarded $1.7 million on October 21. The projects include blueflite organ flights with the University of Michigan, a drone-as-first-responder program in Battle Creek, and airspace tools in Detroit.
By Joel Kelly
More onDrone delivery
Decision brief
These grants pay for demonstrations, not new flight rules; the FAA still sets those. If you fly in Detroit, expect more drone traffic in the city's Transportation Innovation Zone, where several projects will test airspace tools. Battle Creek is getting a police drone-as-first-responder program.
- Total
- $1.7 million
- Largest award
- $245,000
- Police program
- Battle Creek
12 projects, announced October 21, 2026
Blueflite organ delivery with M-Air, Ann Arbor
ResilienX, $200,000, drone as first responder
The awards
$1.7 million across 12 projects.
Michigan's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification picked 12 drone and air mobility pilot projects for $1.7 million in state funding, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office announced October 21. The projects were chosen through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, which NextEnergy runs. The state says the awards advance its July 2025 air mobility plan, Executive Directive 2025-4.
Medical
Organ flights in Ann Arbor and delivery tools in Detroit.
Three awards go to medical delivery. Blueflite gets $245,000 to fly donated organs with M-Air, the University of Michigan's air mobility program, in Ann Arbor. The university says the pilot will fly blueflite's tiltrotor drone between medical sites, beyond the pilot's line of sight. Blueflite also gets $70,000 to test a tube system that moves packages from rooftop drone drops to the right floor in Detroit. ESSPI gets $110,000 to monitor medical drone deliveries in Detroit in real time.
Public safety
A police drone program and inspection work.
Four awards go to public safety and inspection. ResilienX gets $200,000 to start a drone-as-first-responder program for the Battle Creek Police Department. Censys Technologies gets $170,000 for power line inspections from Traverse City. Lamarr AI gets $230,000 for thermal drone inspections of about 2 million square feet of downtown Detroit buildings, and Westwood AI gets $100,000 for inspection mapping in Calumet.
Airspace
Traffic, navigation, and weather tools for Detroit.
The other five test the systems around the aircraft, mostly in Detroit's Transportation Innovation Zone. Airspace Link gets $80,000 for a drone traffic management service. General Orbit gets $150,000 for magnetic navigation where GPS is weak or jammed. Wolverine Radar gets $136,000 for satellite hazard warnings, and Future Flight Global gets $104,000 for urban wind data. Birdstop gets $110,000 to watch truck parking with drones that charge on perches.
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