On Tuesday, May 2nd, Manufacturing Works hosted Reaching New Heights in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM): Opportunities in Autonomous Vehicles in partnership with the College of Aeronautics and Engineering and the Northeast Ohio Flight Information Exchange. The conference, held at the Kent State University Student Center, brought together speakers from Kent State, JobsOhio, the Ohio House of Representatives, and more for discussions surrounding the growing field of Advanced Air Mobility.
In addition to a full day of sessions on May 2nd, attendees were also encouraged to attend a Live Drone Demonstration at the Kent State University Airport on Monday, May 1st. These demonstrations were completed by representatives of UAVistas, AVT Drones, Jones Drones, and Xadite.
The field of Advanced Air Mobility will revolutionize the way that people and goods travel. Ohio is also leading the charge in this industry. Manufacturing Works has created its Center for Advanced Air Mobility Initiative (CAAM-I) to accelerate this change. According to Manufacturing Work’s website, the AAM industry is predicted to create thousands of jobs and add billions of dollars to the Ohio economy over the course of the next 25 years.
The Ohio Department of Transportation, DriveOhio, and the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center have also been working to position Ohio as a leader in the industry, releasing the United States’ first AAM framework in 2022. Other companies and organizations including, but not limited to, NASA and the Ohio Federal Research Network, have launched initiatives to expand the available technology and research supporting the AAM industry’s growth. Several conferences are also held throughout the year across the State of Ohio, including the National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum and the Ohio Air Mobility Symposium.