In the near future, the sight of human-operated "tugs" pulling luggage is set to gradually disappear, according to the British publication "Daily Mail." British Airways will begin using a self-driving luggage robot called "Auto-DollyTug" at Gatwick Airport later this year. The robot will pick up bags from the terminal and transport them across the runway in closed containers to waiting aircraft. Once the containers arrive at the plane, they will be loaded using human-operated elevators in the cargo hold.
The Auto-DollyTug, manufactured by a company called Aurrigo based in Coventry, is expected to be more efficient and faster than current procedures, potentially reducing the amount of lost luggage. David Keen, the CEO and co-founder of Aurrigo, stated that the automatic tug will likely be a "magic solution" for travelers regarding airport luggage carts, noting its ability to improve services provided to air travelers.
Steve McGowan from IAG, the parent company of British Airways, mentioned, "IAG is exploring innovative ways to help its airlines manage their operations as smoothly and on time as possible," adding that IAG is working with Aurrigo to trial the use of self-driving luggage tugs to support the great work of baggage teams at airlines and ground handling companies.
Aurrigo is also testing a fleet of Auto-DollyTug vehicles at Changi Airport in Singapore since the COVID pandemic, having previously tested them at Heathrow, but they will now enter full-time operation as part of British Airways’ trial at Gatwick starting as early as May. Meanwhile, the self-driving luggage transport will also be introduced at Cincinnati Airport in Ohio.
The automatic tug uses 360-degree cameras and LiDAR technology, which is a sensing method that uses pulsed laser light to measure distances to objects. The use of robots for luggage transport will help address the staffing shortages in the aviation industry, which have sometimes led to flight delays, cancellations, long wait times, and increased ticket prices.
