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For the first time, a driverless snowplough has successfully cleared snow from a runway during a test at a Norwegian airport.
The plough, which is 20 metres long and 5.5 metres wide, can clear an area of 357,500 square meters an hour fully autonomously.
The group of ploughs were tested at Fagernes Airport in Leirin, Norway, where they had to clear enough snow to allow planes to take off and land safely.
The project is developed by Yeti Snow Technology, which is co-owned by Semcon and airport vehicle developer Overaasen. It aims to increase efficiency and reduce delays at airports in snowy conditions.
In a statement, Hans Peter Havdal, general manager for Semcon Norway, said: “Every minute a plane is parked is precious. We see great potential for gains in accessibility, but also for the environment and safety because the machine is self-driven.
“An airport is like a miniature society with clear and ambitious targets for the business. If we can get self-driving vehicles to operate there we can apply the technology to any field whatsoever.”
It is hoped that the ploughs will operate in difficult and snowy conditions, and will be a solution to poor visibility during bad weather spells.
