DETROIT — The Global Automotive & Mobility Innovation Challenge has selected 23 start-ups to move on to the semifinals of its 11th annual competition, sponsored by SAE International and MI Innovation Alliance.

The 2019 GAMIC Semi-finalists, hailing from seven states and five countries, have a broad array of promising new technologies to advance the vehicles and transportation systems of the future.

To make it to the semifinals, the contestants competed in front of senior mobility judges from automakers and Tier 1 suppliers, as well as from the startup investment community, during quarterfinal rounds held late last year at Ann Arbor Spark, Techtown Detroit, SAE in San Jose, Calif., and online to include companies from India, Israel, Taiwan, and elsewhere.  Judging criteria used to select the teams moving on to the Semi-finals included their business plans, their uniqueness, and the potential impact of their technologies to the mobility industry.

The 2019 GAMIC semifinals will take place Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Schoolcraft College in Livonia. There, the companies will compete using judging feedback from the quarterfinals, and counseling from more than 40 GAMIC mentors to improve their pitches. The top 12 teams will then advance to the GAMIC Finals at SAE International’s WCX World Congress Experience in Detroit’s Cobo Center April 9.

This year’s GAMIC semifinalists are:

  • 14bis Supply Tracking: Houston, Texas: 14bis Supply Tracking improves supply chains with proprietary middleware that transforms the way assets are controlled and profitability managed, eliminating paper-based documentation systems by leveraging advanced blockchain technology as a secure interoperability layer.  This system is able to read any tagging mechanism and automatically update any industry software system.
  • Bedestrian, Ann Arbor: Bedestrian is a last-mile delivery company utilizing a driverless vehicle system consisting of a pilot vehicle and a modular trailer for indoor and outdoor delivery.
  • Bmmpr, San Marcos, Calif.: The Smart Alarm for Cars. Notifications in around 6 seconds if something has disturbed your vehicle.
  • CaareSys, Netanya, Israel: Caaresys has developed a non-contact occupancy- and passenger-state monitoring solution that connects passengers to the cockpit. By monitoring the location, health conditions and state of each vehicle occupant, CaareSys can minimize the effect of human factor and save lives.
  • CarbonCap, Modena, Italy: CarbonCap manufactures a shapeable all-solid-state structural supercapacitor, providing automotive manufacturers with the freedom to redesign and relocate their supercapacitors for design flexibility, enhanced safety and improved performance.
  • Energsoft, Seattle, Wash.: Energsoft is a software analytics platform for batteries and energy storage. We help OEM’s and energy storage manufacturers find defects, understand performance and select the best batteries for their products.
  • Enviro Clean Diesel, St. Louis, Mo.: The Diesel Particulate Removal System (DPRS) uses a plasma-emitting probe installed into a diesel exhaust pipe which vaporizes particulate matter. Benefits include improved fuel efficiency and reduced downtime; no regeneration cycle or no need for diesel exhaust fluid; and less soot and NOx.
  • GBatteries , Ottawa, Canada: Technology that enables li-ion batteries to charge ultra-fast while retaining long cycle life. ActiveBMS is a charging protocol that significantly improves battery performance without altering its chemistry or manufacturing process
  • HBS Systems, Warren: Patent pending technology that controls postural sway to reduce energy spent on balance and unlocks the knees for proper hip hinge to reduce lower back pain, strain and injury.
  • Joyride Technologies, Tel Aviv, Israel: Joyride is a global micro-mobility platform that helps cities reduce their carbon footprint by enabling sustainable transportation. Joyride allows local operators launch a fleet of bikes or scooters anywhere in the world.
  • MothersonOssia, Farmington Hills: MothersonOssia focuses on the global integration of wireless power technology into mobility applications, including passenger, commercial, and public transportation vehicles. The technology enables delivery of wireless power over distance to multiple devices without the need for cables, batteries or charging pads.
  • NiveauUp, Taipei, Taiwan: A developer of eXtreme Fast Charging (XFC) batteries.
  • NPI Mobile, Dallas, Texas: NPI Mobile develops street-level sensor & wireless communications for the intelligent infrastructure, contributing to verticals such as autonomous vehicles, internet of things, mobile data, and smart cities. 
  • Orbitless Drives, Vancouver, Canada: Orbitless is a patented, novel low-loss gearbox platform enabling ultra-low noise, super high-efficiency gear-heads ideally suited for electric motor applications.
  • Retrospect, Ann Arbor:  Retrospect’s development and deployment tool monitors the controls of an automated vehicle in a safe matter. It does not depend on AI, but monitors the decisions that AI makes.
  • S3D Precision Dispensing, Ann Arbor: S3D creates specialty print heads and compound ink formulas that enable the manufacturing of flexible, embedded sensors, actuators, and electronics onto contoured and textured surfaces.
  • SafeMode Tech, Tel Aviv, Israel: SafeMode’s cloud-based solution enhances fleets’ safety and efficiency by shifting the focus to the driver.
  • The Nickel Ride, Ft. Myers, Fla.: Free on-demand electric vehicle rides that can be ordered via a mobile app. The Nickelytics platform enables advertisers to create, run and analyze personalized marketing campaigns – with digital ads through multiple channels.
  • Turboroto, Santa Clara, Calif.: A better electro-magnetic solution for motors.
  • VectorZero, San Diego, Calif.: VectorZero builds interactive road modeling and traffic simulation software. Its main product, RoadRunner, significantly speeds the creation of detailed road networks for simulation and testing.
  • VizierTech, Detroit: Vizier Tech is a product company focused on mobility and clean energy.
  • Voxel51, Ann Arbor: Developers of an automotive grade computer vision platform that finds the signal amid the noise of camera sensor data.
  • WaveSense,  Somerville, Mass.: WaveSense enables the safest and most reliable navigation for self-driving vehicles by creating and tracking against subterranean maps of our roadways using ground-penetrating radar. Utilizing technologies developed for military use, self-driving vehicles using WaveSense can navigate in snow, rain, fog, poor or no lane markings, and other common but challenging conditions created by surface dynamics.

GAMIC contestants compete in four technology categories – Vehicle Electrification, V2X Communication and Advanced Mobility; Advanced Materials, Sensors, Actuators and Manufacturing Processes; Infotainment, Auto Consumer / Value Add and Value Chain / New Business Models; and New High-Value, Disruptive Technology Innovations

Winners of the GAMIC competition, competing in those four categories, will receive more than $300,000 of in-kind commercialization assistance and cash to accelerate their business in the automotive and mobility industries. In-kind commercialization prizes include services in public relations, legal, incubation, financial modeling, engineering modeling, investor prep, and targeted executive introductions – as well as exposure to senior members of automakers or Tier 1 suppliers with decision-making responsibility, budgets, and the need for the types of technologies our GAMIC winners offer.  There will also be $10,000 awarded by PlanetM, the state of Michigan’s advanced mobility industry accelerator, for two Best in Michigan Innovation Companies

Major sponsors for GAMIC 2019 include SAE International, ESG Automotive, IEE, PlanetM and Sterne Kessler.

GAMIC is a sponsored activity of the MI Innovation Alliance, a 501-c-3 corporation.  For additional information visit www.gamicevent.org.