Aviation Week
Aaron Karp
09 September 2024
While much of the discussion around autonomous operations in aviation centers on the potential implications for the future of flight, airports are actively exploring autonomy for a wide range of functions, from snow removal on airfields to wheelchair services in terminals.
GRR, the second-largest airport in Michigan after Detroit Metro (DTW), has established the Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship (FLITE) program, which provides grants that allow for real-time testing of new technologies in an airport environment.
Autonomous airfield lawn mowers have been tested at GRR as part of the program, for example, with the FAA looking at the results with an eye toward safety implications of having such vehicles moving near taxiways and runways. The FLITE program has also tested products provided by Snowbotix, which builds electric robots designed for functions such as snow removal and sidewalk cleaning.
Read on: https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/airports-see-big-role-autonomous-technology-terminal-ground
