Coventry-based autonomous vehicle specialist Aurrigo has unveiled the Auto-Dolly, which will give airports the opportunity to move luggage and cargo around without the need for human operators.
The vehicles have the ability to navigate autonomously from one task to another, collecting and dropping off items automatically using a powered roller deck and the ability to ‘crab’ sideways when docking and parallel parking.
A recent trial at Heathrow and a digital-twinning project with a Far Eastern airport have proven that the technology can reduce the number of traditional tugs and trailers used to transport cargo and luggage, as well as substantially cutting carbon emissions.
“The aviation sector is going through one of the worst periods in living memory,” said David Keene, chief executive of Aurrigo.
“When it emerges, it will need to explore ways where it can achieve cost savings and increase operational efficiencies, including turning around planes and getting them away on time.
“Auto-Dolly will revolutionise airports by improving efficiency in the way aircraft luggage and cargo is loaded, unloaded and handled. The autonomous system virtually eliminates all human contact, extremely important in today’s Covid-19 world and, unlike the tugs that are used today, every Auto-Dolly is able to carry a load.
“This results in improved space utilisation in the baggage hall, as no valuable space is taken up by a vehicle that cannot move something.”
Together with the Auto-Dolly launch, Aurrigo is also releasing its Auto-Sim product, which is a airport simulator software tool allowing customers to map current operations and then model how to migrate from manual methods through to a fully automated autonomous operation.
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