Moscow Domodedovo Airport in Russia has started a pilot project to test cleaning robots.
The airport is trialling TASKI SWINGOBOT 2000, CLEANFIX RA 660 NAVI and Russian VeDroid robots in its office space and terminal building.
The test assesses the robots’ safety, design, cleaning quality and economic efficiency.
While the robots offer fast and high-quality cleaning, the airport believes that they should be customised to suit the airport environment.
Through the initiative, the airport intends to increase automation in air hub operations.
Moscow Domodedovo press secretary Alexander Vlasov said: “Safety is our key requirement for cleaning robots.
“It is essential that if the obstacles appear, for instance, baggage trolley, a robot should stop, make a quick decision and resume movements without performance degradation. If a robot cannot continue the cleaning, it should go back to the service station.”
The trial is expected to be completed at the end of this year and the airport will finalise its purchase decision next year.
Many airports have recently been testing robots for different purposes.
Last month, Christchurch International Airport started testing humanoid robots at its terminal to study emerging disruptive technologies.
San Diego International Airport also recently started field tests for various airport-related solutions such as autonomous robots for security and augmented reality at its Airport Innovation Lab.
In March, Gatwick Airport signed a framework contract with Stanley Robotics for the testing of robots that valet park passengers’ cars. It will be the first UK airport to trial valet parking robots.
In addition, Stanley Robotics and Aéroports de Lyon / VINCI Airports deployed valet parking robots at P5+ car park at Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport.
