An Interview with MAGIC

Local Spotlight

by Kristen E. Humphrey, MLA, Local Assistance and Training Planner with Graham Dodge, Executive Director, MAGIC  

An article on this topic was originally published in the May 27, 2022 editionof Planning Practice Monthly. We recently revisited the project, having learned of some significant developments surrounding the growth of connected and automated vehicle planning and implementation occurring in Westminster and throughout Carroll County. This update provides readers with new details such as program changes, project advances, new partnerships and more.  

August 2023 Update: What a Difference a Year Makes! 

While the autonomous corridor project, itself, is still in the making and pursuing funding for implementation, in just a little over a year since MDP published our first article, there have been significant developments in many of the companion pieces needed to move CAV technologies forward in the Westminster area.

Exciting new partnerships and collaborations have formed; new educational workforce training opportunities have launched alongside the opening of new laboratory facilities; and students have begun graduating from the Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory, Inc. (MAGIC) robotics programs, matriculating to colleges, internship programs, and jobs with area tech companies. 

Here are some of the highlights: 

Autonomous Robotics Innovation Center (ARIC) Opens in April, 2023 

The Westminster Autonomous Robotics Innovation Center (ARIC) is a 5,600 ft2 permanent training and educational facility in the heart of Westminster. Supported by grants from Knorr-Bremse Global Care, Kahlert Foundation, and TYLin,  as well as a State of Maryland Dept of Housing Community Safety Works Grant and a BGE Green Grant, the ARIC is located in a newly-converted, former auto mechanics’ garage.  

This facility features various autonomous and robotics projects and hands on educational opportunities. ARIC helps students “develop software, coding, and data analytics skills and experiences that are applicable to a variety of industries, not just robotics engineering. Beyond simply teaching technical skills, STEM education fosters critical thinking, builds teamwork and communications skills, and nurtures students’ natural curiosity.”^[1] 

Specifically, students use robotics kits developed by MIT called Duckie Town, which operate on a platform using Robotics Operating System (ROS) and Python for delivering cutting-edge robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning experiences. Duckie Town enables the creation of “toy cities” that are approximately 30’ x 30’ scaled-down working models of cities, and students assemble and program their own Duckie Bot CAV systems. 

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) collaborates with ARIC in January 2023 

The APL stepped up as a partner to help push the autonomous corridor project forward. The APL’s Cypress Lab recently began working with the local water treatment facility (Cranberry Water Treatment Plant Collaboration) to improve its safety, cyber security, and resiliency. As part of their overall commitment to provide critical infrastructure support and develop “smart cities” they have similarly offered technical services to the autonomous corridor project at no cost. 

First Two Graduates of (ARIC) Hired by Local Tech Companies in June 2023  

Two students graduated recently, one with a Level I and one with Level II Robotics Technician Certificate and have since been hired by area tech companies MACH (formerly Land Sea Air Autonomy), which is headquartered in Finksburg, and Dynamic Dimension Technologies (DDT), headquartered in Westminster, respectively. 

All of these recent developments contribute to the MAGIC’s overarching goal “to build and sustain an ecosystem that maximizes the Westminster infrastructure to drive high technology innovation, education, and incubation to elevate Westminster as a model for success in the Mid-Atlantic region.”^[2] 
 

For more information about CAV technologies in Maryland, please visit MDOT’s CAV website. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for future meetings of the Maryland CAV Working Group, please email . For more information about MAGIC, please contact Graham Dodge, Executive Director, MAGIC, at . 

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^[1] https://magicinc.org/community/aric 

^[2] MAGIC press release, June 27, 2023.