Transport
+
Smart waste sensors to total 1.5mn installed units worldwide in 2023, says Berg Insight
M2M/IoT market research provider, Berg Insight, has released new findings about the market for smart waste management says Levi Ostling, IoT analyst at Berg Insight. The installed base of smart waste sensors reached 379,000 worldwide in 2018. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.8 %, this number will increase to 1.5 million in 2023.
Read More
+
Cool IoT Use Cases: Air France conducts first test of self-driving baggage tractor
Market overview
The increase in international travel is having a significant impact on international airports. In order to stay competitive, airport authorities need to do more than simply expand the solution that measures journeys from kerb to gate. A relatively new challenge is to improve baggage flow and ramp safety at airport hubs.
The problem
When passengers’ baggage has reached the sorting area, the autonomous baggage tractor needs to perform the following operations. Allow a handler to place baggage in the tractor’s containers.
Move autonomously around the airport to reach the designed aircraft. And, as it nears the aircraft, the tractor should stop and allow a handler to take control and offload the baggage. The tractor then needs to return to the baggage sorting area taking the same route.
The solution
To carry out those tasks and integrate ramp traffic, the AT135 baggage tractor vehicle is equipped with intelligent sensors that enable it to recognise its environment, position itself with great precision, detect obstacles at 360° and make decisions.
In order to move around the airport autonomously, the AT135 employs autonomous steering software. The electric power train runs off a 32 kWh battery that gives it a top speed of 15 mph (24 km/h) and the ability to pull up to 25 tonnes.
The players
The AT135 was developed jointly with Navya, which supplied the autonomous driving system; Groupe 3S with its ground-handling expertise; Air France; Toulouse-Blagnac airport; and TCR, which is responsible for maintenance and operations.
Business benefits
- Fast, efficient baggage handling
- Autonomous navigation
- A significant step towards future smart airports
The author is freelance technology writer, Bob Emmerson.
Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_OR @jcIoTnow
+
Smart bearings: The demise of slow-comotives
According to the Trades Union Congress, the UK’s average rail commute takes 2 hours and 11 minutes, each day. Also add to the equation that, last year, more than one third of UK trains failed to arrive at stations on time, and you’re left with one very miserable commuter.
Read More
+
How IoT is reshaping the family travel experience for the better
In the past two decades since we have seen the term IoT being launched, we have witnessed multiple impacts of its implementation, from its customisation of financial services to the reduction of retrofitting costs for factories and plants.
Read More
