AN AUTONOMOUS cargo handling vehicle capable of carrying up to 16,500kg is set to be trialled at East Midlands Airport, the UK’s second-largest cargo terminal. 

UPS and British manufacturer, Aurrigo, have developed a huge payload autonomous cargo vehicle as part of a Zenzic-supported project.  

The £0.8 million Autonomous Airport project, funded by the UK Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), has led to an autonomous universal load device (ULD) carrier capable of carrying a total payload of 16,500kg.  

The project is a progression of Aurrigo’s commercial deployments of autonomous baggage transporters at airports such as Changi, Rotterdam, Schiphol, and Heathrow, which have helped position the UK as a world-leader in the development and deployment of autonomous and connected aviation mobility solutions. 

The project has involved several UK-wide supply chain businesses, including Viking Airports in the North East, which manufacture roller decks – the moving beds which the ULDs sit on. It makes roller decks nationally for airports however this project has opened up new opportunities for the business in the connected and automated mobility (CAM) sector. 

Alex Wood, Head of Product at Zenzic, said: “It’s fantastic to see products like this emerging and preparing for real-world use-cases. CAM technology will have meaningful productivity and efficiency benefits in airside operations and airport logistics, a market that Zenzic’s supply chain reports and UK CAM Roadmap have identified as a near-term deployment opportunity for CAM.  

“Aurrigo with, its partner UPS on this project, has successfully demonstrated how to use government collaborative research and development grant-funding with focus on a commercial outcome”. 

David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo International plc, added: “This latest launch is another milestone moment for our business and extends our footprint in the aviation sector. Working with UPS, we have designed and developed an autonomous vehicle that can transport a standard cargo pallet or two ULDs with a 4,500kg onboard capacity and the option of towing an additional 12,000kg trailer. 

“Our launch event was the perfect opportunity to showcase Auto-Cargo and the collaboration with UPS to an exclusive group of industry delegates. They had the opportunity to look around the vehicle and explore some of the autonomous technology and features for themselves.”