TaxiBot
TaxiBot is a demonstrator robotic, pilot-controlled, six-wheeled towing vehicle engineered by Ricardo for Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with the capability of towing Boeing 747 and Airbus A340 as well as smaller airliners. The Benefits are less fuel consumption, less CO2 emissions and less noise.
The advantage of TaxiBot is a reduction in fuel consumption as no turbine of the airplane is needed for taxiing. This results in a substantial global fuel saving according to a forecast of IAI of about 7 billion Dollar per year by 2012. CO2 emissions can be reduced by 18 million tonnes per year. The noise level will be reduced at the airports and its surroundings.
There is no modification needed to the aircraft, taxiways or runways which enables an easy integration of TaxiBot into the airport management.
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CAD model of the TaxiBot showing aircraft nose wheel and landing gear fully engaged |
Operation method
The turret wheel of the aircraft enters the vehicle turret and clamps it quickly into a secured position. The turret is able to rotate freely and can hence take steering and braking requests directly from the nose wheel in such a way that the pilot should not notice the presence of the tug whilst being towed normally by TaxiBot.
The aircraft brakes slow the aircraft down and not the tug. This coupled with the management of nose landing gear forces makes operational towing possible.
Specifications of the demonstrator vehicle
- 52 tonnes weight
- twin 500hp V8 diesel engines
- dual Ricardo “R-Cube”electronic controllers – managing the forces applied to the nose landing gear and vehicle speed and all the communications with the customer’s electronic systems for navigation, speed setting and control tower integration as we well as the operational logic of the vehicle systems and the pilot interface
Ricardo’s involvement included
- requirement capture
- conceptual/detailed specification design
- manufacturing
- testing and demonstration
Further tests are planned for February 2010 at the Toulouse airport (France) with an Airbus owned A430-600 airplane weighing approximately 350 tonnes.
To see the latest video of TaxiBot please click here.
Please click here to read the Press Release on TaxiBot.