LTU, state announce $2M for 2025 ‘Make It in Michigan’ mobility prototyping grants

LANSING—Twenty-six clients of the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University will share in a combined $2 million of funding and services through the state of Michigan’s “Make It in Michigan” mobility prototyping grant program, officials announced.

Centrepolis, in partnership with the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and the Michigan Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation (ODAI), announced the grants. They’ll fund projects aimed at advancing technology that strengthens Michigan’s leadership in mobility, defense, and advanced manufacturing, while bolstering domestic supply chains and high-quality job creation.

The program provides awards of up to $100,000 per company to accelerate product development, prototyping, and manufacturing readiness for innovations spanning air, ground, and maritime mobility, including autonomous systems, drones, and critical mobility components. Projects must be at Technology Readiness Levels 4-9. Technology Readiness Levels are a standardized 9-point scale originally developed by NASA to measure the maturity of a technology, from basic research (TRL 1) to successful operational deployment (TRL 9).

“These projects represent the ingenuity powering Michigan’s next generation of mobility and defense solutions,” said Justine Johnson, Chief Mobility Officer, Michigan Economic Development Corp. “By supporting more prototyping, supplier engagement, and early production in Michigan, we’re strengthening our state’s industrial base, creating good-paying jobs, and ensuring that breakthrough technologies are designed, built, and scaled right here at home. Congratulations to this year’s awardees.”

“Michigan’s defense and aerospace ecosystem is a strategic asset for the nation,” said John Gutierrez, Executive Director, ODAI. “This cohort advances dual-use capabilities—from autonomous systems to next-generation components—that strengthen supply chain resiliency, enhance warfighter readiness, and expand domestic manufacturing capacity, with Michigan leading the way.”

“This initiative is strategically funding mobility technologies that are critical to the US economy for both commercial and defense applications,” said Dan Radomski, CEO, Centrepolis Accelerator. “These projects are addressing domestic supply chain gaps that are currently national security concerns. Many of these projects also team multiple Michigan companies together to support material and component development to integrate our mobility supply chains.”

These awards reflect more than individual company wins—they represent Michigan’s collective bet on the future. By backing innovators across air, ground, and maritime systems, Michigan is deepening its ecosystem and securing its place at the center of tomorrow’s mobility economy.

2025 Awarded Companies and Michigan-Made Projects

• AG3 Labs (Milford, Mich.) – Develop a domestic, NDAA-compliant flight-critical hardware stack for autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms.
• ALBA Robot (Turino, Italy – Office in Detroit) – Develop an autonomous goods mover robot that transports luggage and personal belongings in large facilities.
• Baker Engineering LLC (Nunica, Mich.) – Develop a low-cost hybrid internal-combustion propulsion system for UAVs.
• Bigelow Family Holdings, LLC DBA Mettle Ops (Madison Heights, Mich.) – Develop an automated stator winding system for unmanned aerial system (UAS) motors.
• Birdstop (Concord, Calif.) – Develop an NDAA-compliant EO camera module for small UAS with prototypes and Michigan sourcing.
• Blue Devil Ventures (Southfield, Mich.) – Advance a lightweight multispectral AI system on sub-250g UAS for precision agriculture.
• Cobra MOTO (Hillsdale, Mich.) – Design and prototype an electrified military motorcycle with iterative prototyping and FEA.
• Darkflite Inc. (Brighton, Mich.) – Build a tiltrotor-based kinetic UAS prototype with integrated targeting and supply launcher.
• General Orbit (Birmingham, Mich.) – Advance a magnetometer-based ADCS space technology to manufacturable hardware with Michigan suppliers.
• Intermode (Canton Township, Mich.) – Integrate air and ground drones via a robot module with integrated UAS.
• KB Powertrain Inc (Kalamazoo, Mich.) – Build and validate an electrified axle prototype (eRHINO) for commercial vehicles.
• LIVAQ (Detroit) – Design and validate modular battery packs integrated into structural prototypes for electric ATV.
• LiveRoad Analytics (Ann Arbor, Mich.) – Scale production of mobile weather sensors for fleets with Michigan-based suppliers.
• Michigan Space Technologies (Ann Arbor, Mich.) – Develop a hybrid EM-assisted low orbit space propulsion demonstrator toward micro-launch systems.
• Milton Manufacturing (Detroit) – Build a transportable hybrid microgrid with integrated energy systems and DFM upgrades for both commercial and defense applications.
• Modal Motors (Farmington Hills, Mich.) – Design and prototype UAS drone motors and ESCs with U.S.-made non-rare-earth magnets.
• Motmot (Detroit) – Develop a smart Nexus access device for autonomous underwater inspection robots in live water mains.
• Mutually Assured Development (Southfield, Mich.) – Build a sub-250g modular UAS for safe indoor post-fire assessment with sensing and reporting.
• Neumo (Birmingham, Mich.) – Prototype contactless headrest covers with brainwave-sensing technology to monitor driver distraction and impairment.
• Orb Aerospace (Lowell, Mich.) – Design and prototype custom U.S.-made motors for  UAS.
• RoboWorkx Inc (Southfield, Mich.) – DFM and prototypes of ground robotic system using MI suppliers.
• SeaLandAire Inc (Jackson, Mich.) – Build a larger composite hull for ADARO-X unmanned water surface vessel for open-ocean operations.
• Sigma Powertrain (Wayne, Mich.) – Build a multi-ratio all-electric powertrain demo vehicle for mining haul trucks.
• Swarm Defense Technologies (Auburn Hills, Mich.) – Establish a compliant, high-throughput production line to mass-produce low-cost attritable target drones for C-sUAS training, additionally co-develop and validate Michigan-made UAV battery packs.
• TreeTown Tech (Ann Arbor, Mich.) – Design and demo a U.S.-designed NDAA-compliant UAV flight controller for Michigan drone company.
• Voltaic Marine (Southfield, Mich.) – Integrate autonomy for electric unmanned water surface vessel for at-sea operations.
• Wheel Me Inc. (Detroit, Mich.) – Develop heavy-duty autonomous wheel modules for larger payload transport for material handling in manufacturing operations.

About the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University

The Centrepolis Accelerator, housed in Lawrence Technological University’s Enterprise Center in Southfield, is 6,300 square feet of business assistance for physical product developers and manufacturing companies, a unique niche among accelerators in Michigan. Clients include climatech, manufacturing startups, and existing companies looking to move up to the next level in product innovation. Services include product design, engineering, and prototyping, as well as business planning services, office space, co-working space, workshops, mentors, and events. More at www.centrepolisaccelerator.com.

About the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.