CCAT Welcomes USDOT Leadership to Explore Research and to Participate during Ninth Annual Conference
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology provided a keynote address and joined a fireside chat on artificial intelligence
Photo by: Calvin Tuttle/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, UMTRI
This Spring, the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT), along with Mcity and the U-M Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), welcomed leaders from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for an in-depth look at the research, technologies, and partnerships shaping the future of transportation.
The visit included Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Seval Oz; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Michael Halem; Director of Research, Development and Technology, Firas Ibrahim; and Acting Director of the University Transportation Centers Grants Program, Hamid Ghasemi. The federal transportation leaders spent the day engaging with researchers, touring facilities, and experiencing firsthand how University of Michigan innovations are advancing transportation safety, efficiency, and accessibility.
Throughout the visit, USDOT participated in a series of demonstrations highlighting the breadth of research underway across UMTRI, Mcity, and the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT). The demonstrations showcased how researchers are addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing transportation systems today—from autonomous vehicle testing and safety assessment to motion sickness mitigation and advanced drone delivery systems.
“Visits like this are invaluable because they create opportunities for meaningful dialogue between researchers and federal transportation leaders. Visits like this are invaluable because they create opportunities for meaningful dialogue between researchers and federal transportation leaders
Dr. Henry Liu, Director, U-M Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT)
One of the featured demonstrations highlighted Mcity’s remote-access capabilities and Mcity OS, a cloud-based, augmented-reality connected and automated vehicle (CAV) testbed developed through a $5.1 million National Science Foundation grant. The platform enables researchers across the country to remotely access Mcity’s unique testing environment, expanding opportunities for collaboration and accelerating innovation in automated vehicle research.
Visitors also learned about MotionSync, a startup focused on reducing motion sickness among autonomous vehicle passengers. The technology, initially funded through a CCAT grant, uses carefully timed seat movements to provide physical cues that help align passenger perception with vehicle motion, significantly reducing symptoms that could otherwise limit the widespread adoption of automated transportation.
Photo: Calvin Tuttle/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, UMTRI
Researchers demonstrated On-Road Assessments for AVs, a system designed to measure and analyze driving performance and traffic behavior in all directions around a vehicle. By providing objective, transparent safety assessments, the technology helps researchers, regulators, and industry partners better evaluate automated vehicle performance in real-world environments.
The visit also included a presentation from the Blueflite team, which showcased advanced commercial drone technologies designed to transport critical medical payloads, including donor organs, whole blood, pharmaceuticals, laboratory samples, and other life-saving supplies. The company’s work highlights the growing role of advanced aerial mobility systems in improving healthcare logistics, accelerating emergency response, and enabling faster, more reliable delivery of critical medical resources.
The day concluded with demonstrations of advanced simulation technologies that combine augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. These tools help researchers evaluate automated vehicle performance more efficiently by reducing the number of physical test miles required while maintaining rigorous safety validation standards.
Together, the demonstrations reflected the University of Michigan’s leadership in transportation innovation and underscored the importance of continued collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to advance safe, connected, and automated transportation solutions for the nation.
Photo: Calvin Tuttle/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, UMTRI
The following day, Seval Oz and Firas Ibrahim participated in the 2026 CCAT Global Symposium on Mobility, the ninth annual conference, which welcomes leaders from academia, government, and industry to discuss the latest in connected and automated vehicle technology.
Dr. Ibrahim opened the day praising Dr. Henry Liu and the University of Michigan for their longstanding leadership in transportation innovation, highlighting advances ranging from vehicle safety technologies to automated vehicles and emerging air mobility. He emphasized the need for a technology-driven transformation of transportation through connected infrastructure, data, AI, and automation, while encouraging stronger collaboration among government, industry, and academia to improve safety, mobility, and efficiency.
In her keynote, Seval Oz emphasized USDOT’s commitment to accelerating the deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies by moving research beyond pilot projects and into scalable, real-world implementation. She highlighted the importance of AI, connected digital infrastructure, interoperable data systems, and cross-sector collaboration among government, industry, and academia to create a safer, smarter, and more connected transportation future.
Seval then joined a fireside chat, moderated by Kristin White, Transportation Industry Executive at Google, with speakers including Gregg Brunner, Chief Engineering and Chief Operating Officer for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), as well as Konner Petz, Head of Special Projects for the Office of Mobility Innovation at the City of Detroit. The fireside chat explored how local, state, federal, and industry partners can work together to accelerate transportation innovation while maintaining safety and public trust.
Panelists discussed the distinct roles of each level of government in supporting emerging technologies, the need for interoperable data systems and common standards, workforce development and youth engagement, strategies for fostering innovation within public agencies, and the challenges of moving promising technologies from pilot programs to full-scale deployment. The conversation also examined autonomous vehicles, AI-enabled transportation systems, accessibility for vulnerable populations, freight and supply chain modernization, data quality, public-private partnerships, and the long-term vision of an “affordable autonomy economy” that delivers safer, more seamless, and more accessible mobility for all users.
This story was written by Francine Romine of the U-M Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Calvin Tuttle of the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT).