The University of Miami College of Engineering announced it has launched the Miami Engineering Autonomous Mobility Initiative (MEAMI), which is a consortium of academic, industry, and government partners aimed at transforming the way we commute and live.
MEAMI researchers are focused on developing next-generation electric vertical takeoff/landing (eVTOL) air vehicles–flying cars and they are building on research funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Foundation, NASA, and other major government agencies.
Participating in MEAMI are industry leaders such as Eve Air Mobility, Aeroauto, and Ryder System, along with nonprofit leaders such as The Beacon Council. And the consortium receives support from prominent public sector partners as well such as the Departments of Energy, Education, and Transportation.
Plus MEAMI aims to advance autonomous mobility technology and anticipate challenges to implementation in today’s cities, making this staple of science fiction a part of our daily lives. The applications are plentiful — from air taxis, to assisting in the quick transport of patients to hospitals, to rapid transit from busy downtown areas to the airport. And autonomous mobility will also be applied for surface transport aspects—addressing the shipping of goods and people.
This consortium will investigate the many aspects of autonomous mobility, including advanced propulsion, sensing, integration of satellite signals with local sensing, artificial intelligence, clean energy and energy storage, and advanced materials, with prominent faculty members leading the way. And issues of safety, air traffic control, regulatory aspects related to noise, cybersecurity, and other relevant matters will also be addressed by the Consortium.
This initiative is going to work on 5 verticals focused on the next two years: Advanced Technological Development, Operations, Regulations and Safety, Public Relations, Development, and Advancement.
