Ford Robotics Building

Opened in 2021, the Ford Robotics building is the home of Michigan Robotics. The 134,000-square-foot, four-story complex houses classrooms, offices, a cafe, and a startup-style open collaboration area and tailored lab space for a variety of robotic technologies. A few highlights include:

• Three-story fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles
• An outdoor obstacle course for walking robots
• High-bay garage space for self-driving cars
• A rehabilitation lab with a Stewart platform, force plates, and dual-tread treadmill
• A robotics maker space with CNC, 3D printers, soldering irons, and other shop tools
• An outdoor Mars Yard with imitation martian rocks and soil for testing rovers
• Earned Gold LEED Certification for its construction and design

And in a unique agreement, Ford leases the fourth floor to perform robotics research and engineering in collaboration with U-M and other industry leaders.

What is its purpose?

The Ford Robotics Building brings all parts of the robotics enterprise together for real-world results.

The new building is designed to promote collaborative work across disciplines, involving students and faculty at all levels, from a variety of fields. It also promotes collaboration with external partners, including the Ford Motor Company, who have a permanent presence on site. It has spaces for teaching, experimentation, and testing, in purpose-built bays and laboratories that represent the state of the art. 

These facilities support a particularly distinctive characteristic of Michigan Robotics: its focus on hardware as well as software.

Michigan Robotics emphasizes making real robots. Many roboticists specialize in simulations, but implementing a real machine in the real world poses real challenges. These new spaces enable Michigan roboticists to take full advantage of their hands-on orientation in research and teaching, as they work to build machines that better society.