A parking garage near downtown Detroit is working to hasten development of transportation.

The Detroit Smart Parking Lab occupies the ground floor and the top floor of the five-story parking garage. The organization seeks startups and other companies to test and tweak ways to advance transportation.

“It’s a real-world testing and development environment,” for emerging transportation, said Kevin Mull, senior director of strategic of strategic initiatives at Bedrock, a property management company that’s involved with the lab.

The lab opened in late 2021. The facility has sponsors including the state of Michigan, Bedrock and Ford Motor Co. Another sponsor, auto supplier Forvia , signed on a sponsor this week.

“Forvia is very much looking to embrace technology,” said Chad Durkee, Forvia’s senior manager for innovating fueling and technology scouting. “We try to look outside the traditional automotive bubble.”

The lab certainly goes beyond the automotive bubble.

Boston Robotics , famous for its four-legged robot dog named Spot, has been a presence at the lab. The company has been developing technology that can be affixed to the top of Spot to inspect and provide security for buildings.

Optic Systems has developed high-resolution cameras that can be attached to cars and other vehicles to perform inspections.

Ion Dynamics Energy has been making portable charging vehicles to help recharge EVs.

Cargility has been working on portable assistance devices that can be plugged into a vehicle’s open door. They make it easier for an aging driver to enter a vehicle.

Here’s how the company describes it on its website: “Cars come in all shapes, sizes, and heights. Cargility adjusts to work across most passenger vehicles, from compact cars and sedans to SUVs and midsize trucks.”

On top of that, companies involved with drones and related technology have worked to perfect their tech at the lab so drones can deliver goods to customers.

Overall, the lab is a potpourri of transportation research.