Each dolly will have an electronic control unit and sensors fitted to it that communicate wirelessly to another control unit mounted in the tow tug. Warnings are then provided to the driver through a display screen and the tug will be immobilised if luggage is lost or locking is not correct.
The UK-based firm are already in talks with several global airlines, ground handling companies and airport operators about implementing this solution on thousands of airport vehicles.
Miles Garner, Sales & Marketing Director at Aurrigo, commented: “Our work with International Airlines Group (IAG) and British Airways on the autonomous baggage dolly has given us the opportunity to explore some of the other issues facing the aviation sector and our engineers quickly identified a way of solving the costly issue of incidents involving damaged baggage and ruined cargo,” he explains.
“There’re hundreds of incidents every year where crashes happen due to driver error or the units not being stacked or locked in properly. Our Transport Safety System can help eradicate a lot of these as the tugs will not be able to move until everything is in place and, importantly, drivers will be immediately made aware if the situation changes.”
The design of the system is such that it can be easily retrofitted to tugs and dollies already in use or integrated into the build process for new models.
The launch of TSS comes just a few weeks after Aurrigo completed the second phase of testing for its autonomous baggage dolly at Heathrow Terminal 5, in partnership with IAG and BA, to reduce emissions and improve efficiency. The autonomous dollies will depart for the aircraft as soon as they are full, speeding up the loading process and reducing passenger waiting times.
Miles concluded: “There so many opportunities in this field and we’re hoping that the introduction of TSS and the autonomous dolly will lead to further exciting collaborations.”
