At Schiphol Airport (in the Netherlands), travelers with reduced mobility will be brought to their gate by self-driving wheelchairs. A test experiment with the self-driving wheelchairs was launched in February 2023. Ten autonomous wheelchairs will be deployed starting this week and will be available for the general public to test.
The vehicles have a luggage rack at the rear for hand luggage. Cameras and sensors in the chair monitor people, obstacles, and the space around it to avoid ‘collisions’. There is also an emergency button and a seat belt to ensure safety for the passenger. With this innovation, Schiphol wants to increase the independence of these travelers and make traveling as easy as possible.
Free service
Departing travelers with reduced mobility can use the airport’s wheelchairs. The service is free, and booking is not required. Users can easily board, put on their seat belts, and select a gate number. The wheelchair then drives independently to the gate. After arriving, the traveler gets out, and the wheelchair returns automatically to its starting point.
Patricia Vitalis, Executive Director Operations at Schiphol Airport: “After a short test period in 2023, we will now take a year to test the self-driving wheelchairs at the airport extensively.” […] “This innovation is an important step in our ongoing efforts to make the airport accessible to everyone.”
Smart technology
The service will be further expanded in the coming months, and several tests will be carried out, including entering the elevator with a wheelchair, making a wheelchair available for arriving travelers at the gate, and a break and stopover function.
Autonomous mobility wheelchairs, equipped with smart technology from WHILL Autonomous Mobility, are already being used successfully at major airports such as Tokyo International Airport in Japan.
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