Michigan didn’t just build cars — it changed how things get made. Count down five tech firsts from the Great Lakes State, from police radio and the first mile of concrete highway to a heart machine built by GM and Ford’s moving assembly line, plus two bonus picks.
#5: Police radio dispatch (Detroit, 1928)
Sending patrol cars where they’re needed — by radio. Detroit police began regular radio dispatch in 1928. Officers heard calls on a receiver in their car. To keep its license, the station played music too.
#4: 3D laser hologram (Ypsilanti, 1963)
A flat plate that shows a picture in true 3D. Leith and Upatnieks did it at U of M’s Willow Run lab. A laser recorded the light so the image had depth. Their famous early subject was a toy train.
#3: Concrete highway mile (Detroit, 1909)
Early roads were dirt, brick or bumpy cobblestone. In 1909 Wayne County paved a mile of Woodward Avenue. It was the world’s first full mile of concrete road. Road builders came from all over to see it.
#2: GM mechanical heart (Detroit, 1952)
A machine that pumps blood during heart surgery. GM engineers built it for Detroit’s Harper Hospital. In 1952 it pumped a man’s blood as his valve was fixed. It looked just like a V12 car engine.
#1: Moving assembly line (Highland Park, 1913)
Cars used to be built one at a time, in one spot. At Highland Park, Ford set the Model T line moving. Build time fell from 12½ hours to 93 minutes. At first, a rope pulled each car past the workers.
Bonus Picks From Michigan
Bissell carpet sweeper (Grand Rapids, 1876). A Grand Rapids crockery shop had a sawdust problem. Melville Bissell patented a carpet sweeper in 1876. His wife Anna later ran the company for 30 years.
Painted center line (Trenton, 1911). Edward Hines saw a leaky milk wagon leave a trail. In 1911 he had a line painted down River Road in Trenton. Same man behind the world’s first concrete mile.
Tech From Every State
This is part of my Tech From Every State series: the top tech inventions and firsts from each of the 50 states, told with simple animations. Watch the whole series on YouTube and subscribe to The Tech Ranch so you don’t miss your state. Short on time? Here’s the quick Short version.
Did we miss something invented in Michigan? Tell me in the YouTube comments — and give the video a thumbs up if you learned something.
