Robotic Technology for Ground Support Equipment Yields High Performance and Reliability

This paper will report on a major initiative in the field of both the design of electric airport equipment and the technology applied. It will demonstrate the dramatic effect on energy saving that the design approach affords and will illustrate just some of the advantages of incorporating advanced electronic technologies in airport equipment products.

A battery-powered 15,000lbs (7 tonne) lower deck pallet loader has been designed and manufactured combining direct mechanical transmissions and a microprocessor-based intelligent control. The effect is to give the machine a performance and daily range comparable to and in some respects exceeding, its i.e.-engined alternatives.