Autonomous Baggage Handling Vehicle Testing at Singapore Airport

Singapore’s Changi Airport is moving into the next phase of trials of an autonomous baggage handling vehicle from Aurrigo.

The latest version of the electric-powered Auto-DollyTug has new ground-handling capabilities and is more maneuverable, according to the company. Airport tests are assessing its efficiency and speed when it comes to aircraft turnaround times.

The new design can rotate in its own length and, using a sideways drive system, move directly sideways and slide into tight spaces.

In an industry first, the new Auto-DollyTug also features Aurrigo’s auto-loading and release management system that adds bi-directional robotic arms to the body to allow the vehicle to autonomously load and unload the unit load device (ULD) from itself.

“Auto-DollyTug is the result of clean sheet of paper thinking, as we didn’t just want a modified conventional tractor that could tow some dollies to an area near the aircraft without a driver,” said David Keene, Aurrigo’s CEO. “Our technology can not only carry a ULD on its body, which maximizes carrying capacity without increasing the length of the train, it can also autonomously transfer that ULD directly onto a High Loader.”

Aurrigo’s Auto-Dolly baggage vehicles have been undergoing tests at Changi for two years where the airport has integrated Auto-Dolly into baggage handling operations and tested the Auto-DollyTug, an electric autonomous vehicle designed to replace a traditional diesel baggage hauler.

Related:AV Trials Expand at Singapore Airport

“Changi Airport is exploring the use of different vehicles across the airport, especially to automate airside operations,” said Poh Li San, Changi’s senior vice president of specialized systems. “The latest Auto-DollyTug has made its airside debut at our airport and we look forward to studying how it handles the challenges of a dynamic airport environment.”