Page 103 - Mariners Cricket Club (Singapore) - Souvenir Magazine 2020
P. 103
Future of aviation high-tech
due to COVID-19
irports and planes are moving towards The four robots look like miniature Zambonis
emerging futuristic technology in and are named for flying heroes — Amelia,
Aresponse to the COVID-19 pandemic. Orville, Wilbur, and Rose, for Rose Collins,
A tech revolution in the aviation industry was the first woman granted an aviator’s license
already in motion before the pandemic. But the in Pennsylvania in 1929. “The traveling public
medical and material demands of COVID-19 loves them,” says Pittsburgh International
have brought urgency and velocity to the race to Airport CEO Christina Cassotis. “The cleaning
make passenger air travel safer. On the ground staff loves them because it lets them focus on
and in the air, robot cleaners, new personal other areas.”
protective equipment (PPE) uniforms for fl ight The bots roam for 8-10 hours a day before
attendants, and mandatory medical screenings needing to recharge. The light, which is bright
could become standard aspects of future air enough to damage eyes, is carefully encased
travel. to only hit the floor. The trial has gone so well
that Cassotis says they are looking into more
Here’s how technology may change your next robots to clean the air train that moves between
fl ying experience.
terminals and handrails.
Since UV light exposure carries cancer risks, any
tools developed will have to keep both effi cacy
and safety in mind, according to Praveen Arany,
a professor at the University of Buffalo and an
expert on therapeutic uses of lasers and light.
Cleaning bots that use more traditional, Roomba-
like techniques are on the job at the Cincinnati/
Northern Kentucky International Airport. The
Neo — a 1,000-pound, $50,000 fl oor-scrubber
Robots for cleaning that looks like the love child of a rolling suitcase
and an outboard motor — is made by Canada’s
Disinfecting has taken on new importance AvidBots and uses 3D technology and lasers to
during the pandemic, with ultraviolet C (UV- map its routes and divert around kiosks, food
C) on the frontline. UV-C is a wavelength that carts, or stray children.
damages a virus’s DNA and RNA, causing it to
stop replicating and die. It’s bit of science that’s Your face, your passport
been understood since the mid-20th century Before the COVID-19 pandemic, airports were
and used in places like hospitals to sterilize already investing in touchless technology to
rooms and tools. Now, the travel industry is speed up the boarding experience. Now, those
looking to harness the light to fight the spread same non-contact tools might also prevent virus
of coronavirus. transmission.
Pittsburgh International Airport was already “Existing technology will become more popular
working with local startup Carnegie Robotics faster than expected,” says Andrew O’Connor,
to test autonomous cleaning robots that use the vice president of portfolio management at
water pressure and chemical disinfectant before Sita, an airport technology company. “You can
the pandemic. After the virus hit, the company use your face without having to touch things as
offered to install a UV-C component. much.”
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