£1.43 million project drives airport safety innovation

An autonomous transport firm has secured £1.43 million in Government funding to explore how driverless vehicles could improve airport safety and efficiency.

Coventry-based Aurrigo International will use the CAM Pathfinder grant to deploy its Auto-Shuttle vehicles on routine airport tasks as part of a project named SENTRY.

The vehicles will carry out security patrols and perimeter inspections, as well as monitoring bird activity and helping move birds away from operational areas.

They will also inspect runway and taxiway surfaces for cracks, wear and loose objects that could potentially damage aircraft.

The project will draw on expertise from Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick, guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority and a specialist testbed facility near Teesside International Airport.

Bosses say automating routine inspections could help identify safety issues earlier, improve efficiency and reduce delays caused by runway checks.

Simon Brewerton, chief technology officer at Aurrigo International, said: “Airports are busier and more hazardous than most passengers ever realise.

“Away from the terminal, staff spend their days walking and driving around parked aircraft, along taxiways and up and down runways, checking for loose debris, chasing away birds, patrolling for security, and inspecting the roadways for damage. 

“Much of this work happens in the dark, in wind and rain, and always with aircraft moving nearby.”

Simon added: “SENTRY will investigate whether some of that work could be done by small autonomous vehicles that will navigate on their own, following a set of rules agreed in advance with air traffic control.

“Working with our partners, we are developing the technology and building it into our Auto-Shuttle®, which will firstly be deployed in controlled environments before operating in real airport conditions at Teesside International Airport and at Cincinnati in North America.

“Our team will measure the changes the autonomous vehicles make, including staff time savings, how quickly issues were spotted and the positive effect on reducing emissions.

“The finding will be written up in a public report that will be shared with airports, regulators and the wider sector, providing a best practice use case for adopting more autonomous vehicles.

“Aurrigo’s technology is not about replacing people. 

“It is about taking the cold, repetitive, three-in-the-morning jobs off the roster. 

“It will free-up experienced staff for the work that genuinely needs human judgement and gives airports a practical way to raise their safety standards.”

SENTRY builds on Aurrigo’s growing aviation presence, with its autonomous Auto-DollyTug and Auto-Cargo vehicles already operating at eight airports globally.

Starting in September, the project forms part of the Government’s £150 million CAM Pathfinder programme, delivered in partnership with Zenzic and Innovate UK.

The funding remains subject to Government approval.

Mark Cracknell, programme director at Zenzic, added: “Today’s announcement builds on the fantastic progress made by CAM Pathfinder so far and puts the UK firmly in the driving seat when it comes to developing and deploying the CAM solutions of tomorrow.   

“From construction to public roads and, airside, these projects have the potential to transform UK businesses, create and safeguard hundreds of jobs and further strengthen the domestic supply chain.”  

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