Fairbanks International Airport To Scare Animals From Runways With Robot Disguised As

Summary

• Alaskan DoT is testing a robot “Aurora” to improve airport safety by scaring away wildlife near runways.
• Aurora, built by Boston Dynamics, can navigate snow, water, and avoid collisions.
• Concerns about privacy and surveillance arise, but DoT reassures that the robot will only be used to patrol around runways to deter wildlife.

The Alaska Department of Transportation (DoT) is testing out a wildlife mitigation solution in Alaska, in the form of a robot that functions as the equivalent of a coyote or a fox even, to scare away potential birds and other larger wildlife in proximity to the airport runway. If successful, these might be implemented at airports countrywide to improve safety.

Meet Aurora

Recent reports from Anchorage Daily News (ADN) show that the DoT and the Public Facilities have been testing out a new robo-dog, christened Aurora, at the Alaskan city of Anchorage. The primary function of this robo-dog technology would be to eventually be deployed at Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), and act as a wildlife mitigation method by hazing any potential birds or wildlife in proximity to the airport’s runways.

The Alaskan DoT stated that the deployment of this technology at FAI would,

enhance & augment airport safety and operations.

Aurora is designed and built by US-based Boston Dynamics, which is a robotics company, with expertise in building advanced robots with animal-like features.

The robot is roughly the size of a large dog and is capable of movement in all directions. Additionally, it can take actions such as climbing stairs, dancing, and scrambling over uneven terrain. What makes it particularly useful for the Alaskan environment is that Aurora is capable of navigating through snow and water bodies, with the ability to sense and avoid collisions with objects in its path.

The robot is said to be disguised as coyotes or even foxes once it is operational around the airport.

Public concerns

While it is always exciting to see new technology in action, there was also a public outcry from people who were not entirely convinced by the function of the robot and had privacy concerns, namely how the authorities might use the technology for surveillance purposes.

However, the Department of Public Safety of Alaska has stated that the robots will not be used as a surveillance tool and has reiterated that their primary function would be to patrol around the runways of FAI and ensure the safety of departing and arriving aircraft from potentially interacting with any wildlife.

It was also stated that the robot would not be autonomously operated until the safety and security parameters regarding its operations and function are set in place by the relevant authorities.

It was further stated that the trial would allow the airport and the DoT to see how effective it is to use a robot as a non-lethal wildlife mitigation tool and how it would fare against larger animals such as a moose or a bear.

Data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wildlife database shows that a total of 93 incidents were reported in 2023 within the state of Alaska wherein an aircraft came in contact with birds or other wildlife, often causing damage or, at least, operational disruptions.

From these 93 reports, 10 occurrences were based at Fairbanks International Airport, indicating a real need for effective wildlife mitigation methods. Additionally, it was reported that robots such as Aurora are more cost-effective than employing wildlife biologists to deter wildlife within the sensitive areas of the airport.

They are already here!

While it is uncommon to see robots moving around the runways of an active airport, it has become a common sight to see robots within airport terminals interacting with passengers.

Last year, Khaleej Times reported that Dubai-based Emirates would mark a world-first milestone by deploying automatic check-in robots at Dubai International Airport (DXB), designation – Sara.

These robots are being tested both at DXB and the airline’s city check-in facility at Dubai Financial District.

As per the current trend, going forward, passengers can expect to see more interaction with robots within the airport, as both airports and airlines are working towards improving operational efficiency, which can provide passengers with a better experience while reducing costs and improving safety for airlines and airports.

What are your thoughts on interacting with robots at airports? Let us know in the comment section.