Cobo basement at NAIAS is a tech showcase, look at the future | FOX 2 Detroit

Cobo basement at NAIAS is a tech showcase, look at the future

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When it comes to the North American Auto Show, there is plenty to see at Cobo Center once it opens to the public.

But there is one section that may be easily overlooked - the basement, where the future of the auto industry may lie.

It may not have the glitz and glamour of the showroom floor but the technology on display in the automobilty portion, gives a picture of what is possible. 

One company based in Ann Arbor is taking full advantage of the opportunity. 

"We have cameras in front and back and two cameras on the left and right and sensors all around," said Shadi Mere, owner and founder of Bedestrian.

The company Bedestrian is a startup made up of former GM and Ford engineers and this is their first development. 

"B1 is a driverless delivery vehicle that delivers medicine and food," Mere said.

This summer you may see B1 roaming the halls of Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn. 

"Between the pharmacy and the lab delivering the medicine to the cancer center," Mere said.

They are here at the auto show looking for investors. a move that already paid off. 

"Later this year we are going to be working with the city of Grand Rapids and Detroit," Mere said. "We were one of the winners of the Michigan Mobility Challenge, we got $100,000 working with MDOT and we are glad for their support."

And they are not alone, this area under the show so to speak is full of innovators competing to be the next big thing. And who knows, maybe front and center on showroom floor next year?