Autonomous vehicles to help airports reduce costs and make them safer are being developed by international tech company Semcon.
It will devise smart ways to clear snow from landing lights using autonomous vehicles (AVs), for instance. The time-consuming task is done manually at present, with AV development aimed at allowing more airports to stay open.
“It may seem like a little thing, but runways are shut down if 15% of their lights are disabled – and that results in significant delays and costs money,” Semcon technical project manager Anne Piegsa says.
“There are major benefits to be gained by using autonomous solutions here, not least when it comes to enhancing the safety of both aircraft and personnel.
“Smart automation of airports will make it possible to keep more of the smaller, less busy airports open and retain staff thanks to reduced costs and increased safety.”
Anne Piegsa.
This project is being implemented by Semcon in partnership with Lundberg Hymas which makes multi-purpose construction machines and markets them in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Lundberg’s tractor will become autonomous. It will be possible to steer these vehicles remotely from a traffic management centre developed by Yeti Snow Technology. The AV’s snow clearing can be stopped to allow an aircraft to land.
Extreme vehicle precision is required, and the AV has to operate in all weathers, presenting a challenge.
Semcon says it has previous experience of projects involving similar situations, working with Yeti Snow Technology, a company co-owned with Øveraasen. A successful solution for keeping entire runways clear of snow using autonomous snowploughs was demonstrated in Norway.
The technology is being developed by Semcon for LFV – the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration, as part of its Autonomous Vehicles for Air Ports (AVAP) project. Husqvarna, Rise, FlyPulse, Swedavia and Combitech are also working on various subprojects as part of this initiative.
This project will be demonstrated at Örnsköldsvik Airport in a year’s time.
Founded in Sweden in 1980, Semcon collaborates mainly with companies in the automotive, industry, energy and life science sectors.
Visit semcon.com for more information.
