Critical Mass, New Lab, and the Convergence of Tech, Innovation, and Detroit
- Aaron Thelenwood
- Nov 25, 2025
- 6 min read
Having now lived on the West Side of the state for well over 10 years, returning to the metro Detroit area always feels like a bit of a homecoming. Though I didn’t grow up in Detroit proper (Oakland County) the City always loomed large in the collective consciousness of the surrounding regions. Through growth and upheaval, Detroit has always been the driving heartbeat for Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, St. Clair, and Washtenaw counties – as well as the state, overall. It’s not too far of a stretch to say Detroit is the unofficial secondary capital of the state, never truly letting go of it’s original role.
Where I grew up, the wealth and job security of our community was tied intrinsically to the economic and industrial activity of Detroit, often with no more than six degrees (often fewer) of separation between any given person and the big three.
Returning to Detroit now you can see that some of the familiar faces remain, but new industries are on the rise, with new leaders writing the next chapter of the City’s history as a hotbed for innovation, renewal, and the kind of bold experimentation that has always defined Detroit.
Detroit’s Innovation District
Detroit’s capacity for reinvention is nowhere more evident than at Michigan Central and the newly reimagined Newlab building. Designed by Albert Kahn and once home to the Detroit Public Schools Book Depository, the structure spent years in a neglected state after its closure—left largely unsecured, overlooked, and avoided by most. Yet people were still drawn to it. It’s true there were scrappers, vandals, and other unsavory activities, but there were also photographers, artists, urban explorers, and the occasional underground rave that took advantage of the building’s raw, untouched character. It existed in a long in-between period, used in ways it was never intended for, while quietly holding the potential for something more.
Today, that same structure’s raw energy has been tapped into again and has been transformed, helping to write the next chapter of Detroit’s ongoing story of innovation and reinvention. Paired with the restoration of Michigan Central Station, the district tells a story that feels distinctly Detroit: gritty, ambitious, creative, and relentlessly forward-moving. Startups, researchers, local businesses, and homegrown visionaries now work side-by-side with global industry leaders on technologies that will define the next era of movement—electrification, autonomy, connected infrastructure, and emerging UAS and AAM applications.
Far from leaving its roots behind, Detroit is expanding them—evolving from the home of the assembly line to a proving ground for the systems, vehicles, and airspace concepts that will shape the future. In this way, the Michigan Central district isn’t just a redevelopment—it’s a continuation of Detroit’s long tradition of building what comes next.Critical Mass is Newlab’s signature showcase series — a high-energy event format designed to spotlight cutting-edge startups, emerging technologies, and the creative momentum building inside Newlab’s innovation ecosystems. Each edition brings together founders, engineers, researchers, investors, and public-sector partners for an evening built around demonstration, discovery, and community, giving the broader mobility and deep-tech world a front-row seat to the companies shaping what comes next.
Critical Mass Event Overview
Last week, Newlab Detroit hosted the Critical Mass: Bangers edition, a curated lineup of the most dynamic, high-impact companies from the Detroit campus’ current cohort.
“Bangers” was in many ways a convergence of the past and present, highlighting the polished new innovative industrial space on the first and second floor, as well as the raw, and exposed interior of the building. Concrete, HVAC, and exposed plumbing married with high tech, clean innovation spaces serve as visual representations of the buildings past and a future yet to be written.
The event celebrated breakthroughs — concepts and prototypes with the biggest potential to move markets, spark collaboration, and accelerate deployment in mobility, automation, electrification, robotics, and AAM-adjacent technologies. The event was packed wall to wall in equal parts neon lights, bumping beats, industry innovators, and sleek technologies pulled directly from science fiction to meet the growing demands of today.
Honoring Detroit’s legacy of building and making, blending deep-tech energy with the city’s creative and industrious culture, the result was a packed, high-momentum evening that underscored just how quickly Detroit’s innovation district is defining Michigan’s advanced mobility future.
Featured Projects
Blueflite — Electric Tilt-Rotor Logistics Aircraft
Blueflite is building fully electric tilt-rotor cargo drones for automated logistics, designed and manufactured in Michigan. Their patented airframe integrates internal payload bays, modular mission modules, and intelligent control systems to support high-performance missions across commercial, industrial, and defense use cases. Headquartered in Brighton, Blueflite is already flying real-world pilots, including auto-parts delivery routes in the Detroit area.
Website: https://www.blueflite.com
Observable Space — Real-Time Software-Defined Telescopes
Observable Space builds software-defined telescope systems and vertically integrated hardware–software stacks for commercial and defense-grade space observation. Their systems represent the world’s first software-defined telescopes, enabling real-time targeting, adaptive imaging, and persistent monitoring. Manufacturing is anchored in Michigan.
Website: https://observable.space
Cambrian Robotics — AI 3D Vision for Automation
Cambrian Robotics focuses on AI-powered 3D vision that lets robots reliably identify and pick complex parts at speed. Their Cambrian Vision system delivers sub-millimeter accuracy with pick cycles under a quarter of a second.
Website: https://www.cambrianrobotics.a
Ecosphere Organics — Regenerative Materials from Food & Ag Waste
Ecosphere Organics transforms food and agricultural waste into sustainable raw materials such as bioplastics and natural pigments. Their model supports circularity, resilience, and integrated regional manufacturing.
Website: https://ecosphereorganics.com
wheel.me — Autonomous Mobility for Everyday Objects
wheel.me develops autonomous “smart wheels” that bring mobility to everyday objects, turning static inventory and fixtures into mobile, flexible automation assets.
Website: https://www.wheel.me ThermoVerse — Building-Integrated Thermal Storage & Energy Optimization
ThermoVerse is an advanced materials and urban innovation startup focused on transforming how buildings manage and store energy. Their flagship product — LATCHES™ — is a compact, ceiling-mounted thermal storage tile designed to actively absorb and release heat. By charging and discharging excess thermal energy, the system helps maintain occupant comfort while enabling the building to operate as a smart, grid-interactive energy asset.
For building owners and operators, this reduces strain on HVAC systems — often the most energy-intensive component — lowering utility costs and improving overall system efficiency.
Website: https://www.thermoverse.com
Shandoka — Electrifying Existing Motorcycles
Shandoka retrofits existing motorcycles to electric drive, maintaining rider customization while supporting zero-emission performance. Their motors and systems are built and tested in Detroit.
Website: https://shandokacycles.com
Aerialoop — Middle-Mile Drone Logistics
Aerialoop operates a “middle-mile drone airline,” building high-frequency aerial routes between warehouses and distribution points. Their VTOL systems have logged tens of thousands of urban flights internationally and are now flying routes in Detroit.
Website: https://www.aerialoop.com
Special Focus — Disobedient Robots (Nicolás Kisic Aguirre)
Disobedient Robots challenges conventional expectations of automation by intentionally including hesitation, error, and improvisation in robotic behavior. Instead of optimizing for obedience, the project asks what is lost when we build systems that only follow orders. In aviation, defense, logistics, and AAM, where strict protocol dominates, this installation serves as a reminder that judgment, context, and human override still matter. For me, it immediately brough to mind, Vasily Arkhipov, whose refusal to follow nuclear launch protocol during the Cuban Missile Crisis prevented global catastrophe. The installation stands as a counterweight to efficiency-only thinking in emerging autonomous systems.
Critical Mass Closing Summary
Events like Critical Mass: Bangers make it clear that what’s happening at Newlab and across the Michigan Central district isn’t a reinvention — it’s a continuation of what Detroit has always done: build, test, break, rethink, and push forward. The companies showcased span drones, space sensing, electrification, automation, regenerative materials, and even artistic challenges to how we think about autonomy itself. Taken together, they reflect a city of growth, innovation, and the kind of boundary-pushing ingenuity that keeps reshaping how the world moves — not reinvented, but rediscovered. And the takeaway extends far beyond Detroit.
Michigan’s broader mobility ecosystem stands to benefit from this momentum: the partnerships, pilot projects, and proofs-of-concept emerging here will ripple outward to airports, manufacturers, universities, and communities across the state. What’s being prototyped in Detroit today is laying the groundwork for how Michigan — statewide — will compete and lead in the next era of advanced mobility.
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