The staff at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport should receive support from robots: The airline Japan Airlines (JAL) is testing the use of robots in ground handling.
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The humanoid robots are intended to support human colleagues in a range of tasks, JAL said. In the future, help will range from loading luggage to cabin cleaning and even operating the ground equipment or Ground Support Equipment (GSE). The project starts next month and is expected to run until 2028.
Robots from China
The Chinese company Unitree supplies the approximately 1.3 meter tall humanoid robots, as the British daily newspaper The Guardian reports. JAL this week demonstrated how a robot pushed cargo onto a conveyor belt next to a plane.
Ground handling is hard work that has to be done primarily by people due to the conditions, explains JAL. However, there are fewer and fewer workers available who are qualified for such work in a safety-relevant environment.
Robots should take over the tasks in the future. According to JAL, humanoids are best suited for this. Their range of motion and adaptability are comparable to those of humans. “Their human-like shape allows them to be used without significant changes to existing airport facilities or on aircraft.”
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(wpl)
