News

Robotic check-in airport kiosks navigate autonomously to reduce congestion

May 24, 2017

SITA Lab, which explores the future of technology in air travel, has unveiled KATE, an intelligent check-in kiosk that will autonomously move to busy or congested areas in the airport as needed, according to a press release.

Using various data sources – including flight and passenger flow information – the unit can identify where additional check-in kiosks are required to reduce passenger queue times at check-in. The kiosk uses existing SITA data systems such as day of operations business intelligence and FlightIn for API. 

Multiple robotic kiosks can be automatically or manually deployed simultaneously and in formation to assist passengers, providing airports and airlines greater flexibility in managing peaks in passenger flow. The kiosks can also communicate through a cloud service to ensure that the right number of kiosks are at the right position when needed, making them responsive to changes in the airport. A design patent application for the kiosks is currently pending.

The kiosk makes use of geo-location technology to find its way through the airport. The unit will use Wi-Fi to connect to airline and airport systems, dispensing with the need for cabling or other fixed attachments. This allows the kiosk to move around freely across the airport terminal, using obstacle avoidance technology to avoid bumping into people or things.

(Image courtesy of SITA Lab.)