Traffic Robot Patrolling Singapore Changi Airport

image credit: Straights Times/Jason Quah

Picking up people at the airport is usually a nightmare. There are vehicles and pedestrians going every which way. You’ll find a place to wait and a minute later security is telling you to move. If you happen to be at the busy Changi airport in Singapore, you now have to deal with a traffic robot making sure you aren’t waiting where you shouldn’t be.

Certis Testing Traffic Enforcement Robot

The orange and black robot goes around the airport flashing the words “Traffic Enforcement in Progress”. Its job is to make sure cars are waiting in proper areas. If it does come across a vehicle in an unauthorized area, the robot will stop, point its cameras at the car and flash the words “No Parking”.

The three-foot traffic robot belongs to Certis who provides security at the Changi Airport. More of a deterent, the bot does not currently issue tickets. Its job is just to patrol. The robot is fully autonomous and helps to encourage smooth traffic flow at the busy airport.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to reimagine new concepts in advanced security operations, Certis has been conducting trials at Changi Airport in the past two weeks,” said a Certis spokesperson.

‘World’s Best Airport’ Changi is Turning to Technology to Improve Efficiency

Changi Airport is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. It is currently rated the World’s Best Airport by Skytrax. Officials feel that by using the robots, it will help free up human officers for other tasks. The airport has been turning to technology to operate more efficiently and reduce the reliance on manpower. They’ve also been testing things like robot floor cleaners.

“Technology will help us do things better, faster and more effectively, but it will never replace humans 100 percent,” said Tan Toi Chia, senior vice-president of corporate planning at Changi Airport.

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