Self-driving pods to offer mobility autonomy at Vancouver International Airport

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is teaming up with a B.C. company to unveil a pilot program it says is the future of getting around an airport.

YVR is partnering with A&K Robotics, which is a company founded by three University of British Columbia graduates, to introduce new, self-driving pods to help people with mobility issues.

The rider uses a touchscreen to tell the pod where they want to go and the pod uses AI and multiple sensors to navigate busy spaces.

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“What we have done is placed these sensors to give our robot a 360-degree view of its environment, with multiple layers of redundancy,” Jessica Yip with A&K Robotics told Global News.

“So when the robot is moving, when it is in motion, it’s gathering information from all of these sensors, and it is using it to determine where it is, how close or far other objects are.”

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Yip said the pod will slow down and adjust its speed and position in reaction to what it happening in the environment.

YVR said it plans to put 10 of the mobility pods in the airport.