Leo, a baggage robot, is being trialed by Azul Airlines at Rio’s Tom Jobim International Airport.
Leo comes from SITA Lab and is a fully autonomous and self-propelling robot.
The robot can check in a passenger, print bag tags and transport two suitcases. It has an obstacle avoidance capability and can navigate in a high-traffic environment such as a busy airport.
It is effectively a self-service bag drop on wheels. The smart bit is where the robot then takes the dropped bag to the baggage handling area.
Azul Airlines is currently the third largest airline in the country.
Leo will be demonstrated with Azul at Rio until April 5th and then SITA will take it to Argentina.
In November 2016, Sita demonstrated Leo with Royal Air Maroc in Marrakech and Casablanca airports. In May 2016, Leo was on trial at Geneva Airport.
Cristiane Lunardi, IT Manager, Azul Airlines:
“At Azul we are always looking at new ways to make our customers’ journey the best that it can be. Working with SITA to explore innovative technologies, like this new baggage robot, allows us to test our customers’ reaction to new ideas and ways to transform their journey with us. We are looking forward to seeing the special Rio welcome for Leo.”
Elbson Quadros, SITA Vice President, Latin America:
“Brazil’s airlines and airports are embracing the future, looking at new ways to manage the growing number of passengers. Technology can ease the way and we at SITA are happy to be exploring new ideas with our customer Azul.
“This robot demonstrates that innovations can transform the passenger experience. Leo uses robotics and artificial intelligence to get bags from check-in to loading onto the correct flight without ever having to enter the terminal building or be directly handled by anyone other than the passengers themselves.”
N.B. Image credit: Azul Airlines