Airports are paving the way for autonomous technology by testing driverless vehicles to help make them more efficient.
Autonomous technology company Oxbotica is working in partnership with Gatwick Airport to host a six-month trial that will see staff ferried around by self-driving buses.
While in Norway, a Scandinavian company called Yeti Snow Technology, has developed ploughs that use autonomous technology to clear snow.
At Gatwick, passengers will not be included in the initial trial, nor will the movement of aircraft – at first limited to airside roads between the North and South terminals at Britain’s second-biggest airport.
If the initial trial is successful, Oxbotica says it could expand it to include other vehicles used around the airport, such as push back tugs, passenger load bridge, baggage tugs and passenger transport buses.
Delighted to be working with @Gatwick_Airport @XLCatlin on such an exciting Mobility as a Service opportunity. #Transport is everywhere in so many shapes and sizes and #Autonomy has a vast role to play. #airports @ccavgovuk @innovateuk https://t.co/uH7w420rMM pic.twitter.com/esnicjmwG3
— Oxbotica (@oxbotica) March 19, 2018
Graeme Smith, chief executive officer of Oxbotica, said: “Airports offer an incredibly interesting domain for our autonomous driving software. There is a huge diversity of vehicles, each with a very specific mission.
“The challenge of choreographing all of the activity around an individual plane, or in support of airport operations is immense and we look forward to working closely with Gatwick on this initial pilot that will demonstrate our self-driving technology carrying staff around the airfield.”
Cathal Corcoran, chief information officer for Gatwick Airport, said: “If this trial proves successful then in the future we could have an Uber-like service operating across the airfield which staff can hail as and when they need to travel.
“This trial is just the start and much more research will be needed, but ultimately this could be the start of widespread use of autonomous vehicles on airfields across the world. The new technology is a more efficient way to manage vehicles and could lead to a reduction in the number of vehicles required, their associated costs and harmful emissions.”
In Norway, the huge snowploughs are based on Mercedes-Benz HGVs, measuring 20m in length and five metres in width.
They were tested Fagernes Airport in Leirin – 124 miles north of Oslo – where they had to clear enough snow so that planes would be able to take off and land.
Working in formation, they are able to work out the most efficient snow clearing pattern and have sufficient capacity to clear a 357,500m² area in the space of one hour.
Markus Granlund, CEO of Semcon, commented: “Autonomous snowploughs will allow airports all over the world to streamline their activities and reduce delays for their passengers.
“This is a good example of how autonomous vehicles can increase profitability and add value for people.”
John Emil Halden, project manager at Semcon, added: “We have designed a control system that sets up digital patterns for autonomous snow clearance at airports.
“The system can then download these patterns and monitor a number of vehicles that navigate using RTK GPS – an accurate form of position measurement – and communicate using 4G modems.”