Incheon Airport Introduces World's First Indoor Autonomous Vehicle - Cart Robot at an Airport

Increased Convenience for Transportation-Disadvantaged Users Expected... Also Available for General Public

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Incheon International Airport is introducing indoor autonomous electric vehicles and cart robots for the first time in the world.

Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 14th that it has pilot-introduced two indoor autonomous electric vehicles and six cart robots to support the convenience of transportation-vulnerable passengers within the airport and to strengthen contactless services. Incheon Airport is the first airport in the world to introduce AI-based autonomous driving services inside passenger terminals.

The autonomous electric vehicles (Air Ride) being pilot-introduced by Incheon Airport Corporation were developed by the autonomous driving platform startup 'ThorDrive' and operate one vehicle each in the duty-free zones of the Arrival Hall at Terminal 1 and the Departure Hall at Terminal 2, totaling two vehicles.

These autonomous electric vehicles are automatically deployed at the arrival gate of Terminal 1 in accordance with flight operations and then assist transportation-vulnerable passengers in moving to the quarantine area. At Terminal 2's departure hall, they operate from the departure hall's west-side information desk, the designated stopping point, to the boarding gates. In the departure hall, passengers can select their flight or the gate to move to via a touchscreen and board, allowing easy travel to their destination.

The cart robots can be used in a following mode where the robot carries luggage and follows the passenger, or in an autonomous driving mode where the robot leads the passenger to a specific destination after recognizing the boarding pass or setting the destination.

The autonomous vehicles and cart robots being pilot-introduced prioritize support for transportation-vulnerable passengers but can also be used by general passengers as long as they do not cause inconvenience to transportation-vulnerable users.

Ahn Jung-jun, Head of the Smart Promotion Office at the corporation, said, "By pilot-introducing indoor autonomous electric vehicles and cart robots at Incheon Airport, the first airport in the world to do so, passenger convenience will improve and Incheon Airport's position as a smart airport will be further strengthened. We plan to continue proactively introducing various smart airport services at Incheon Airport to leap forward as a global leading smart airport."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.