Coventry-based transport technology specialist, Aurrigo, will use its Auto-Sim® software platform to create a digital twin of airside operations at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Michigan.
The trail is facilitated by The Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship (FLITE) which provides pilot-testing opportunities to companies focused on bringing emerging air travel solutions to market.
Utilising a PlanetM Testing Grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Aurrigo will build a model of airside operations, covering roadways, intersections, stands and all operational vehicle types and movements.
A team of expert simulation engineers and project management specialists, based in its advanced engineering centre in the UK, will work with Ford International Airport planning staff to integrate vehicle fleet capacity and flight schedules so they can simulate airside servicing to benchmark current operations and predict future scenarios.
As well as modelling operations, the Auto-Sim® software platform can also simulate the effects of staff shortages due to Covid-19, flights delays, the de-icing schedule for departing aircraft and severe weather events including heavy snow and ice.
David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo, said: “The world’s airports are all facing the same challenge of providing greater levels of customer service with the most cost-effective use of resources and minimal environmental impact. It’s a careful balancing act and one brought into even sharper focus with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Auto-Sim® will enable Ford International Airport to be the first in the US to complete a real-world feasibility study of a current airport using digital twin technology.”
Aurrigo will work with Ford International Airport and consortium partners Southwest Airlines, Stantec, Seamless, and the Michigan Office of Future Mobility & Electrification to complete this project by the end of May 2022.
Auto-Sim® has the capability to replicate the airport’s busiest periods, which at any given day, could include 112 aircraft movements, requiring upwards of 1000 individual activities to be serviced.
Tory Richardson, president and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, said: ”FLITE enables us to partner with entrepreneurs and established companies focused on developing innovative new products and services to improve Airport operations and air travel experience for guests.
“We are proud to welcome Aurrigo to our Airport to offer them the opportunity to test their Auto-Sim® software platform alongside our airside operations.”
Image credit: Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock
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