Automate Asia Magazine Sept - Nov 2021

Page 31

Changi Airport to Use Autonomous Tractor to Transport Baggage to Aircraft handling partners, mainly SATS, to see how this tractor can supplement existing live flight operations,” said Ms Chia. The TractEasy is currently configured to be able to pull up to six tons of baggage, said Ms Chia, adding that this can be increased in future.

The EasyTract autonomous baggage tractor being tested at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on Aug 13, 2021. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah)

From next month, an autonomous baggage tractor will join its manned counterparts in serving flights at Singapore’s Changi Airport, as part of a trial of such driverless vehicles.

These allow its location to be tracked, with accuracy to within a centimeter, said Ms Juliette Chia, a senior associate with the Changi Airport Group’s (CAG) airside transformation office.

The driverless tractor, which has a maximum speed of 15kmh, will be able to pull up to four unit loading devices - containers used to load luggage onto aircraft - from the baggage handling area to the aircraft bay.

In 2019, EasyMile was part of a selfdriving shuttle bus trial on the National University of Singapore campus, together with transport operator ComfortDelGro and vehicle dealership InchCape.

The TractEasy - jointly developed by aviation ground support equipment manufacturer TLD and driverless vehicle firm EasyMile - is equipped with a bevy of equipment such as lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors, cameras and antennas for GPS as well as 4G and Wi-Fi.

A demonstration of the TractEasy was conducted for members of the media at Terminal 3 on Friday (Aug 13), ahead of its use to support live flights. In October last year, the vehicle was first tried out at Terminal 4 - where flights have been suspended since May last year - to test its ability to follow mapped routes in an environment without other vehicles, said Ms Chia. The tractor was subsequently tested in a “live” environment at Terminal 3, to test its ability to avoid moving obstacles.

The TractEasy is currently configured to be able to pull up to six tons of baggage. (Photo: Zhaki Abdullah) Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

“We’ve just completed the proof of concept, and we’re moving towards live flight operations with our ground

She added that CAG hopes to add two other such driverless baggage tractors to the trial in October. Ms Chia said that baggage tractors were chosen for the trial as they make up about half of all vehicles on the tarmac at Changi Airport. There are currently about 400 manned baggage tractors at Changi Airport. Noting that a single flight is typically served by multiple baggage tractors, a fleet of three autonomous tractors would be a “meaningful number” to test their use in turning around flights, she said. This is in line with CAG’s vision of an airport of the future, where airside workers work in higher value-added jobs, supported by autonomous vehicles. “Changi Airport believes that autonomous vehicle technology and robotics will play a big part in the airport of the future,” said CAG executive vice president for airport management Tan Lye Teck. “This trial will help us to understand the requirements for safe driverless transportation and help us understand how best to redesign operational processes accordingly,” he added. Automate Sept-Nov 2021

31


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Nokia Appoints Datuk Mohd Rauf Nasir to Lead Its Business in Malaysia

2min
pages 61-64

Very Slow Oregon Robot Sets a Running Record

1min
page 60

The Convergence: Artificial Intelligence and IoT

3min
pages 58-59

Interview with David Chia Chairman of the Smart Automation Industry Group in the Singapore Manufacturing Federation and Managing Director of Beckhoff Automation

6min
pages 48-51

Konica Minolta Launches Markforged 3D Printers

2min
page 47

Keysight Launches Scienlab Battery Pack Test System with High Voltage Silicon Carbide Technology

2min
page 46

Digital Transformation Helps Toagosei Singapore Improve Operation Efficiency and Enhance Plant Safety

2min
pages 56-57

Digitalization Advances Southeast Asia’s Energy Transition

7min
pages 52-55

The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence: Past, Present & Future

5min
pages 44-45

Artificial Intelligence Could Identify Dementia Years Before It First Appears

2min
page 43

Researchers Employ Artificial Intelligence Models For Image-Based Detection of COVID-19

2min
page 42

How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Save Us from Air Pollution

5min
pages 40-41

Changi Airport to Use Autonomous Tractor to Transport Baggage to Aircraft

2min
page 31

Getting the Cap on the Bottle: Inside P&G’s Robot Ambitions

6min
pages 34-35

The Robot Apocalypse Is Hard To Find In America’s Small and Mid-Sized Factories

6min
pages 36-38

Breakthrough Robotics System to Tackle the World’s Most Hazardous Environments

4min
pages 32-33

Verizon Shows Off 5G-Connected Robots at Barcelona Conference

2min
page 30

Pivot Bio, a Start-Up Using Microbes to Replace Synthetic Fertiliser, Raises US$430m

2min
page 39

5 Ways 5G and IoT Could Help Change the World

5min
pages 28-29

Cellular IoT Network and Infrastructure Redundancy

3min
pages 26-27

Seoul Will Have a City-Wide Public IoT Network By 2023

3min
pages 20-21

Hyundai Motor to Buy Robot Maker Boston Dynamics from Softbank

2min
page 15

Thailand Confident on

3min
pages 18-19

How IoT Will Unlock Smart Living’s Limitless Possibilities That Lie In Our Imagination

9min
pages 22-25

The Time to Unlock Industry

4min
pages 16-17

Greater Kuala Lumpur, an Attractive Business Hub for Future Growth

6min
pages 12-14

Building Bridges: Philippines -Silicon Valley Startup Cooperation Opens Opportunities in the US and Southeast Asia

5min
pages 10-11

Become the World’s Leading Industrial Hub

4min
pages 8-9
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