Department of Transportation

The Department of Transportation partners with researchers across U-M to ensure a safe, efficient and modern transportation system, which improves quality of life and increases the productivity of workers and businesses.

$14 Million

Research Supported by DoT in FY25

60

Active Projects Supported by DoT

Motion sickness technology could alleviate symptoms for passengers in today’s cars, and tomorrow’s

Engineers at the University of Michigan have developed a new technology, ready for implementation in current vehicles, that reduces motion sickness by nearly half. For the 1 out of every 2 children and 1 in 3 adults who suffer from the condition, it’s an option that comes without the drowsiness of medications.

A man in a white t-shirt and shorts sits, at left, in a mechanized chair in the rear compartment of a van, while another man, standing, at right, analyzes data on a screen mounted to the van wall.

Daniel Sousa Schulman, a U-M PhD student in mechanical engineering, sits in the PREACT chair, next to recent U-M PhD graduate and former Precision Systems Design Lab member Nishant Jalgaonkar.
Image credit: Brenda Ahearn, Michigan Engineering

Roadway safety research, automated vehicle testing join forces at U-M

In an effort to bolster its research on next-generation mobility technologies that save lives, the University of Michigan is fusing its longstanding leadership in transportation safety with its distinct expertise in testing connected and automated vehicle technologies.

A woman, wearing a sensor strip across her forehead, straps into the passenger seat of a test vehicle while a researcher in the back seat works on a laptop computer.

Research teams at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute prepare for testing.
Image credit: Joseph Xu, Michigan Engineering.