GSE INNOVATION
Hands-free
operation
Back in November, history was made at
Toulouse, writes the Editor.
Air France the benefi ciary
of Charlatte and Navya’s
combined expertise
It may have been a day that saw Toulose
Blagnac airport perpetually shrouded
in mist but that did not prevent the rst
live operation of a driverless baggage
tractor on the ramp.
On the momentous occasion, Air France
was the customer; Charlatte Autonom,
along with TCR and autonomous
specialist Navya, provided the driverless
vehicle; and Groupe 3S contributed the
ground handling expertise. For all the
players involved in this historic moment,
it was a ful lling experience: the result of
several years’ investment and trial resulted
in a faultless demonstration before a large
number of interested stakeholders.
The rise of autonomous
ree or four years back autonomous
vehicles were still the stu of science
ction. True, tests were underway on
public roads to gauge the practicality
(and safety) of the driverless car, but the
airport sector was merely a spectator.
All that would change, though, as the
day in Toulouse proved. Companies like
Navya saw the potential for autonomous
transport, primarily in the eld of the bus,
development was the talk of the workshop:
almost a year on, the concept nally bore
fruit on the ramp of Toulouse airport.
is particular airport is not without its
historical importance, of course: chapters
in its aviation history involve both
Concorde and the A380, so it was tting
that this station should witness the rst
automated vehicle usage.
e key to the whole operation lies
in the programming. Once a vehicle
(Charlatte is currently running three such
autonomous tractors) has electronically
absorbed the details of the route (or
routes) that it is to take, all that’s required
is touchscreen input within the cab to set
the vehicle in motion. Equipped with an
array of sensors (Lidar, GPS, camera and
an odometer), the tractor is thus equipped
to navigate its route, stopping at preestablished
barriers (such as pedestrian
crossings), and giving way to anything
that it detects within its eld of movement
that might con ict with its course. An
inbuilt 3D map of the local environment
ensures that the vehicle knows where it is
at any given moment.
On the day in question, the driverless
tractor appeared from the baggage hall
area towing two empty trailers. It drove
around a roundabout before reaching
the stand, where it stopped according
to its computerised input. e trailers
were loaded, a Groupe 3S driver then
turned the assemblage through 180
degrees before stopping the tractor and
alighting. A command on the dashboard
touchscreen then set the whole train
in motion again, the tractor and load
reprising the route it had previously taken.
( ere is also a base controller facility
to operate such a vehicle: someone can
start up the tractor, or tractors, without
the necessity of getting into the cab). e
whole exercise was drama-free although
one imagines that a few hearts were in
mouths as the tractor encountered another
vehicle on its journey: however, all the
research had obviously paid o , because
the AT135 (the A signifying autonomous)
politely gave way, only continuing once it
had detected its path was clear. For those
watching, it was the ultimate endorsement
of this interesting technology.
Ongoing trials
e tests at Toulouse actually got
underway on November 15 and the
airport was due to carry on utilising the
AT135 until the end of 2019; therea er, at
least at the time of writing, the next steps
were unknown, although rumour had it
some time ago; the company wasn’t alone
in recognising that here was something
that was admirably suited to a con ned
area of operation over a programmable
route, such as that of the airport.
Charlatte, known for its electric vehicle
output, was a perfect choice and its T135
tractor type was deemed suitable for the
transformation work. When GHI visited
the French headquarters in early 2019, this
“We are very proud of this
world-fi rst operation”
Bastien Devaux,
Charla e Manutention
26 February 2020 Ground Handling International