Air France has started testing an unmanned luggage tractor

Created on 10.01.2020 11:35

Air France has started testing an unmanned tractor intended for baggage delivery at Toulouse Blagnac Airport. On November 15, the machine has started working in the test mode, according to Ato.ru portal.

The luggage tractor received a working name Autonom Tract AT135. The tractor is able to drag up to 25 tons of cargo on a wheeled platform, developing a speed of up to 24 km / h. The principle of operation is simple. Once the baggage sorting tool receives a passenger luggage, the Air France subcontractor places these items in containers attached to the tractor carriage. Then AT135 is programmed to the delivery point using the touch screen and stops nearby, allowing a ground staff to pick up the baggage and manually load it onto the flight prior the tractor is sent back on its arrival route to the sorting area. The machine is equipped with intelligent sensors with a viewing angle of 360°, allowing to recognize its location and evaluate the distance to certain objects, detecting obstacles and making decisions.

It is expected that the exploitation of such unmanned vehicles in an air harbor will improve luggage service and increase an apron safety at airports. Additionally, it is expected that unmanned tractors will be another step, allowing operators to focus on decision-making and management actions, providing the vehicles to carry out their work on their own.

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