Are autonomous vehicles ramp ready?

Autonomous vehicles on the ramp are not part of ground operations’ future, they are part of the present, said a panel on the subject at the IATA Ground Handling Conference.

IATA has published standards for autonomous vehicles, such as belt loaders, cargo loaders, and passenger stairs in the Airport Handling Manual. And though the panel agreed that ground handling is still a labor-intensive process, this merely means that the industry is not lacking in inspiration or the opportunities to implement autonomous ground support equipment.

Indeed, there are a multitude of ideas and test projects around the world that are demonstrating the viability of autonomous GSE in a variety of settings.

Autonomous systems can address staff shortages, cost pressures, and safety standards, said Andrew Moakes, COO and Co-Founder, Evitado. Technology also enables the ability to scale up and down quickly, which is a key consideration in such a dynamic sector.

An incremental approach to automation is necessary, however, for a variety of reasons. The steps necessary include the collection of data to inform autonomy, change management to educate all staff and partners, and finally the establishment of an ecosystem to connect all automated procedures.

Richard Fairchild, Director Autonomous Projects, UK & Europe, Aurrigo, said retrofitting—adapting to existing vehicles and procedures—is hard. In contrast, designing an autonomous vehicle from scratch, though it involves more work, is a more flexible approach. The company is now on the third iteration of its autonomous dolly. Aurrigo has modified the weight and robustness of the vehicle and, moreover, has even included a manual position to increase utilization flexibility.

The panel agreed that autonomous transport vehicles work and are ready for operations. Already, innovators are moving on to more complex challenges, such as handover points. Rather, this is now about investment and implementing a proven technology.

But it was stressed that automation would not take away the need for humans. Rather, roles will change to deal with irregularities or complex processes, which should make the sector a more enticing prospect for new talent.

The Panel

Richard Fairchild, Director Autonomous Projects, UK & Europe, Aurrigo

Andrew Moakes, COO and Co-founder, Evitado

Manuel Wehner, Manager Autonomous Air Cargo Handling and Transport Organization, Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML)

Moderator: Sunny Bhatt, Manager Ground Operations Innovation and Efficiency, IATA

View the discussion thread.