If you ever find yourself in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Changi in Singapore, or Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, you might spot some unusual, futuristic-looking vehicles — fully electric, self-driving, and designed to help move baggage and people around.
The three airports are among those where British company Aurrigo, a pioneer in autonomous vehicles for airports, is testing its products.
After delivering a prototype to British Airways in 2019, Aurrigo deployed the first of its autonomous ground vehicles, the Auto-DollyTug, to Changi Airport in 2022.
The Auto-DollyTug — which has a safety driver on board — can autonomously pick up a container and transport it directly to the aircraft. It can go backward, forward and sideways, or rotate 360 degrees on the spot, a handy feature in congested airports where other vehicles are transporting fuel, water, catering and people.
“We are the first globally to have a vehicle and tech that can operate from the baggage hall right up to the aircraft side, to unload and load containers automatically,” said David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo, who’s also a visiting professor at Coventry University, specializing in autonomous vehicles. He founded the company more than 30 years ago as an automotive parts supplier, before developing an interest in automation.
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