Imagine arriving at the airport three hours before your flight, passport in hand, only to watch your suitcase disappear on a conveyor belt. That familiar, sinking feeling. This frustration is driving airports like Amsterdam to test groundbreaking new technology.
Engineers have deployed an autonomous baggage dolly, a smart vehicle moving luggage from terminal storage straight to the aircraft. Inside, a computer plots the route. Lidar and stereo cameras spot obstacles, stop at junctions, and yield to pedestrians.
The vehicle carries the ULD container itself, removing the need for a trailing trailer and allowing parallel loading. Trials are ongoing, as airports must prove safety in a regulated environment.
Experts say fully autonomous airports may arrive by two thousand fifty, with wider use in the two thousand thirties. Each dolly brings us closer to ending lost luggage.