We received an interesting press release about a new unmanned ground vehicle currently being tested at Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport. The unusual six-wheeled vehicle is built low to the ground and appears to have the world’s largest dust pan mounted on the front.
The Remote Package Handling System is the first commercial version of a new family of remote-controlled ground vehicles created by a partnership of three Canadian companies after 10 years of R&D.
Although Lesage is not counted among Canada’s largest airport, its security staff prides itself in exploring the newest and best methods of protecting its passengers and staff. Laurent Giroux, chief of security and assistant director of operations, contacted the team behind the RPHS in May of last year.
The principals of the group include security consultants Parisien Research Corporation (PRC), electronics expert Provectus Robotics Solutions Inc. and the world’s leading specialist in off-road utility vehicles, Ontario Drive & Gear Ltd.
Giroux was looking for a safe way to remove suspicious packages from his airport’s baggage system without having to shut down the airport for a protracted investigation period.
Pat Crendall, vice president of PRC’s Intelligence and Security Division, explains the underlying concept for the platform on which the RPHS is built: “Some years ago, the U.S. Army had planned to deploy robotic systems through much of its vehicle fleet. Our idea was to take the same approach to meet requirements for surveillance and utility tasks in a number of fields: police work, facility security, haz-mat handling. To succeed outside of military applications, though, it would have to be inexpensive, off-the-shelf and highly versatile.”
The RPHS combines surveillance and robotic material handling apparatus enabling emergency response teams to control the vehicle from the safety of an airport security vehicle located several hundred feet away. Views through a mast-mounted video camera let the operator maneuver to where the suspicious package has been identified, pick it up and drive it quickly away from the terminal and passengers.
The vehicle’s robotically operated dump box can lift payloads of up to 45 pounds, and up to 42-inches x 48-inches in size. Steel plates 14-inches high and ¼-inch thick provide shrapnel containment to the sides and back. With the package removed to a safe location, the bomb disposal unit can take as much time as it needs to neutralize the threat, while the airport conducts its business normally.
