Uncrewed Systems Technology 049 - April/May 2023

67 horizontally disposed conveyor belts (one immediately adjacent to each tine). Each belt consists of plates that grip the pallet and push it on top of the fork. “Unlike traditional forklift-type assemblies, which require the cargo to be dropped off onto matting so that the forks can be removed from under the cargo pallet, the APL can be positioned next to a ramp or flat surface to automatically push the cargo onto the receiving surface or vehicle, reducing the time and effort required to load and unload it,” Gordon explains. The APL is intended to be used autonomously in repetitive loading and unloading jobs, particularly in outdoor terrain or remote areas wheremanual work by people could be expensive or unsafe. Its autonomy is powered by Stratom’s Summit off-road software platform, which the company has developed to serve as amodularly configurable suite to enable straightforward autonomous operations across vehicle platforms fromother OEMs. Gordon adds that through Summit, Stratom is currently developing unique behaviours for the APL as well as integrating different sensors, cameras and other equipment to optimise its capabilities. In the long term, the APL will be updatedwith object detection capabilities for travelling across landing zones, between warehouses and across complex terrain. Airports Air freight and military logistics are of course not the only headache for workers and organisations. Commercial airliners often have to handle many tonnes’ worth of passenger luggage, all of which must be smoothly delivered between aircraft holds and airport terminals without damage or failure. The routine and repetitive nature of commercial flight makes it ideal for the application of autonomous baggage handling systems. First, UGVs can be pre- programmed to travel in an automated fashion from their garages to planes on the ground, and then to baggage claim with a payload of luggage, before UGVs | Insight Uncrewed Systems Technology | April/May 2023