London Heathrow - is not just an airport is a complex consisting of five passenger terminals, two runways and a huge parking space for car passengers and airport employees. And between all these parts of a Heathrow need to somehow move! But for these trips and is designed system ULTra, representing dozens of unmanned taxi.
Almost a year ago we told you about working with autopilot machine from Google, which itself can be quite successful ride on city streets. But mass production of such machines - the case of the distant future. And now in London's Heathrow airport taxi system running unmanned with naming ULTra.
Of course, the technical part of the system ULTra (Urban Light Transit) very far from the machine with the autopilot on Google. Everything is working much easier, but at the same time, very safe and settled. After all, cars do not go ULTra on ordinary roads, and on specially designated routes for them, or placed on racks or in the fenced off areas the existing routes, or on specially built tracks.
ULTra not need a driver. They go on a special chute and an automated system, directed against the collision, did not allow them to rest against a fence of this trench. And stop these cars is not where the passenger wants or missing driver, and stops at special stations, though this is a tram or metro.
Here at Heathrow Airport are planning to build these eighteen stations located in front of the terminals near to public transport and car parks. This will allow passengers and airport employees as quickly as possible to get to their cars from the terminal to the terminal or to the nearest bus stop.
But this is the future! Now there are two stations so far and part of the path length of 1.9 kilometers in each direction, linking Terminal 5 and the parking area 3. Moves along this route twenty-one unmanned vehicle ULTra. Each can carry up to six people with their luggage. The average speed of the vehicle - 40 mph.
Now the waiting time of one such trailer ULTra about 30 seconds. In the future it is planned to reduce this to 12 seconds.
