MobilityforAll™

Mobility shapes our lives. How we get around – be it on foot, by motor vehicle, bicycle, rail, in the air, or by water vessel – has become an important discussion not only in the field of engineering, but also in disciplines such as education, health, social sciences, business, and law. As a premier urban research university, Wayne State is uniquely situated to address mobility challenges at all levels. In response to the need for additional mobility research and varying mobility needs, the Wayne Mobility Initiative (WMI) was established in February 2020, led by a steering committee. The vision of the Wayne Mobility Initiative is to improve quality of life for individuals and communities through excellence in mobility-related research, teaching, and service. This vision will be realized through coordination, collaboration, and innovation.

WMI is excited to announce the launch of the Mobility for All Competition, a three-phase event that will take place between October 2020 and October 2021. The objective of the competition is for interdisciplinary student and faculty teams to develop innovative, impactful, and accessible solutions to real mobility challenges.

Team Requirements

• Team led by WSU students, faculty, or staff

• Team includes at least one WSU student

• Team is interdisciplinary

• Team includes at least one community partner

Based on feedback from community partners and leaders in the Detroit Metropolitan Area, the following mobility challenge areas have been identified:

Transportation

• Challenge Area # 1 – Public Transit – The planning, design, and operation of a reliable, efficient and useful public transit system.

• Challenge Area # 2 – Bicycle Infrastructure – The encouragement of alternative modes of transportation such as biking with improved planning and infrastructure

• Challenge Area # 3 – Walkability – Developing stronger and healthier communities, by promoting walking through planning, design, and education

• Challenge Area # 4 – Connected & Autonomous Vehicles: Technology and Applications – Solving mobility issues using forthcoming CAV technologies

Community Health & Planning

• Challenge Area # 5 – Public Safety – Providing people safe and comfortable mobility options

• Challenge Area # 6 – Access to Food – Providing people access to food using mobility solutions

• Challenge Area # 7 – Access to Healthcare – Providing people with access to healthcare using mobility solutions

• Challenge Area # 8 – Access to Education, Employment and Community Engagement (e.g., civic, cultural, religious, etc.) – Providing people with access to life using mobility solutions

The competition will have three phases. Each phase is defined below. Problem statements recommended by the community are also available here. Please submit the proposals and queries to MobilityForAll@wayne.edu.

Phase I – Design (Application Form)

# of Awards: Up to 10

Award Amount: $1,000 each

Due Date: December 11, 2020

Finalist Presentation Date: January 25, 2021

Phase I will require the teams to propose a solution within one of the challenge areas identified above. The final deliverable will be a two-page summary of the proposed solution. Up to ten finalists will be selected to pitch their ideas to the WMI panel. These finalists will then be eligible for the second phase of the competition.

Phase II – Development and Small-Scale Testing

# of Awards: up to 5

Award Amount: $5,000 each

Due Date: March 26, 2021

Finalist Presentation Date: April 15, 2021

Phase II will build on the solutions proposed by the ten finalists in Phase I. The teams will be asked to develop and perform small scale testing and data collection for their proposed solution. The deliverable for Phase II is a five to seven-page white paper based on their initial findings. Five finalists will be selected and asked to present at the annual WMI meeting on April 15th.

Phase III – Scaling

# of Awards:1

Award Amount: $10,000

Finalist Presentation Date: October 1, 2021

The five finalists selected in Phase II will be eligible for Phase III of the competition. The deliverable for Phase III is a full proposal for scaling the proposed mobility solution. The teams will be asked to meet with and incorporate community input while preparing the final proposal. The proposals will be evaluated by the WMI panel and a winner will be selected.