MSU Mobility celebrated Mobility Week, a global initiative focused on innovation at the intersection of transportation and technology, held Sept. 20-27, 2025. This initiative brings together mobility and transportation technology experts from around the globe to build partnerships and identify opportunities to accelerate innovation. Michigan State University is on the forefront of research and collaboration efforts to advance mobility in Michigan.
According to MSU Mobility and Innovation Director Judd Herzer , “At Michigan State University, mobility is not confined to a single discipline. It is a collaborative effort that unites fields and perspectives to drive innovation and talent programs that deliver real-world solutions that benefit Michigan and beyond.”
See how College of Engineering researchers, along with colleagues across campus, are working to move mobility forward.
Mobility Summit
The first Mobility Summit, co-hosted by MSU Mobility and the MSU Research Foundation, and sponsored by Consumers Energy and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, took place Aug. 14, 2025.
The one-day summit brought together researchers, innovators, and industry partners to explore a host of mobility challenges and solutions — from autonomous transit and drones to supply chain resilience and off-road transportation. The program featured keynote talks, technology showcases, panel discussions that included College of Engineering researchers, and opportunities for conversation and connection.
Learn more about the Mobility Summit
Autonomous Bus
MSU has a new way for students, faculty, staff and visitors to get around campus for free while also contributing to the future of mobility research. MSU’s new autonomous and electric bus on campus is ready for passengers with a fresh look, new route and exciting research opportunities to explore.
Thanks to the university’s latest three-year partnership with ADASTEC, a leading software company that specializes in automated driving solutions, the full-size, 21-seat bus travels a 5.12-mile loop around campus with stops at the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts and Anthony Hall.
Learn more about the SpartanXpress
MSU Selected As Featured Mobility Testing Asset
MSU has officially been selected as a featured mobility testing asset by the state of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, or OFME. Being included as a state-featured testing asset validates the university’s continued efforts to drive the future of mobility and the critical role it plays in validating mobility innovation and development.
Additionally, this establishes the university as a supported testing asset for startups receiving grants through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, which provides funding opportunities to innovators in addition to access to testing resources to support product and service deployments and evaluations. This eligibility better positions MSU Mobility for future funding through industry projects and cooperation, in turn increasing the hands-on experiential learning opportunities for MSU students.
Learn more about MSU as a featured mobility testing asset
Hybrid Rail Inspection System
As rail infrastructure across the United States ages under increasing freight demands and higher-speed passenger traffic, the need for smarter, faster, and more reliable inspection methods has never been more urgent. Associate Professor Sunil Chakrapani, Professor Yiming Deng, and Professor Ming Han from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are working with Valerii Kicherenko, director of MSU’s Center for Railway Research and Education, and students to answer that call with a breakthrough hybrid sensing system that could redefine how railroads detect and prevent failures.
Sponsored by the Association of American Railroads,' or AAR’s, Grand Challenges in Railroad Technology Program, and developed through a multi-year collaboration between MSU researchers, MxV Rail, and Adrian & Blissfield Railroad, or A&B, the new system employs a multi-modal, non-contact method to identify surface and subsurface rail defects in real time, even at speeds up to 60 mph. It represents a significant advancement in safety, efficiency, and innovation for an industry that is the backbone of the American economy.
Learn more about the Hybrid Rail Inspection System
SPIN Scooter Research
MSU and SPIN, a leading micromobility provider, are deepening their innovative partnership with the launch of two new faculty-led research projects aimed at advancing sustainable transportation and smart mobility solutions.
A project led by Associate Professor Shaunak Bopardikar and Research Associate Prajakta Surve from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering aims to boost fleet security and reduce vandalism. Their machine SPIN Scooter Research team learning system uses real-time telemetry and GPS data to detect unauthorized scooter movements, such as lifting, dragging, or relocation without an active ride.
The other project, led by Assistant Professor Emily Dolson and her team from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, will build a high-resolution simulation of mobility patterns across MSU’s campus. Data from this map will inform optimal scooter deployment strategies and support long-term planning for MSU’s Vision 2050 transportation goals.
Learn more about SPIN scooter research
Indy Autonomous Challenge First Place Win
Team Polimove-MSU, a collaboration between MSU, Politecnico di Milano, with the University of Alabama, took first place at the Indy Autonomous Challenge WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca event on July 24, 2025.
The IAC brings together public-private partnerships and academic institutions to challenge university students around the world to imagine, invent and prove a new generation of automated vehicle software to run fully autonomous racecars and inspire the next generation of STEM talent.
Learn more about the IAC first place win
About MSU Mobility
MSU Mobility advances talent and innovation for all forms of mobility through our campus-wide collaboration across eight MSU colleges, research excellence and unique real-world testing ecosystem. From creating technologies and improving systems for moving people and goods more safely, efficiently and sustainably across all transportation sectors and modalities throughout the world, to advancing research and transportation science, developing tomorrow’s mobility sector talent, offering a world-class mobility proving grounds, and providing thought leadership in public policy and sociomobility, MSU Mobility does it all.
This story originally appeared on the College of Engineering website.
