Ypsilanti Township, Mich. ---July 9, 2026 --- The American Center for Mobility (ACM), a 500-acre campus and test track located at the historic Willow Run site near Ann Arbor, Michigan, and focused on safe, sustainable, and secure advances in mobility technology, is pleased to announce that a collaborative research partnership between ACM, ACM’s engineering services provider Michigan Technological University (MTU), and the City of Detroit, resulted in meaningful findings on identifying, characterizing and mitigating high-risk scenarios for autonomous shuttles.
Under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Autonomous Driving System (ADS) Demonstration project, the City of Detroit Office of Mobility Innovation launched an autonomous shuttle pilot project in 2024 to explore the potential of self-driving technology in helping residents facing mobility barriers get to their destinations. Dr. Sushanta Das, ACM’s vice president of research and development, and, in collaboration with Dr. Mojtaba Bahramgiri and Vaishnavi Balambeed of MTU and with active support from Tony Geara, former Deputy Chief of Mobility Innovation, City of Detroit, conducted comprehensive road safety and readiness analysis.
With over 83 hours of on-road data from the Detroit shuttle deployment route, an artificial intelligence/machine learning data analytics platform was developed to study edge cases and safety-critical situations for the identification of critical driving scenarios and the creation of safety maps. The safety map approach aids in informed route planning and enhancing overall safety through risk reduction.
“The outcome of this study is beneficial to frame policy and legislation through measurable metrics and to highlight adoption challenges that need to be addressed for large scale ADS deployment,” Das said. “It also demonstrates ACM’s research-driven commitment to advancing safe and innovative mobility solutions for the public and private sectors.”
The research was presented at the ASCE Transportation Conference held in Detroit, Michigan, on June 28-July 1, 2026 by Vaishnavi Balambeed of MTU. The full version of the paper will be available shortly in the ASCE Conference proceedings.
About the American Center for Mobility
The American Center for Mobility is a nonprofit mobility and technology campus located at historic Willow Run in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. ACM provides infrastructure, testing environments, event space, and convening power to help organizations advance safe, sustainable, and secure technologies across transportation and related industries. Learn more at acmwillowrun.org.
