Aurrigo International has received £1.43 million in UK government funding to explore the use of autonomous vehicles for airside safety tasks, including runway inspections, security patrols and wildlife management.

The funding will support SENTRY, a project that will deploy Aurrigo’s Auto-Shuttle vehicles to perform routine airport tasks such as perimeter inspections, detecting runway and taxiway damage, identifying foreign object debris and monitoring birds that could pose a risk to aircraft.

The project will bring together Aurrigo, Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick and the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Testing will also use a specialist facility near Teesside International Airport.

“Airports are busier and more hazardous than most passengers ever realize,” said Simon Brewerton, chief technology officer at Aurrigo International. “Away from the terminal, staff spend their days walking and driving around parked aircraft, along taxiways and up and down runways, checking for loose debris, chasing away birds, patrolling for security, and inspecting the roadways for damage.”

SENTRY will investigate whether some of those tasks can instead be performed by small autonomous vehicles operating according to predetermined rules developed with air traffic control.

The technology will initially be tested in controlled environments before moving into real-world airport operations at Teesside International Airport and Cincinnati in North America, according to Aurrigo.

The company said the project is intended to improve safety by detecting obstacles, wildlife, pavement damage and security issues while increasing the efficiency and frequency of airport inspections.

Aurrigo will evaluate the vehicles based on factors including staff time savings, the speed at which potential problems are detected and emissions reductions. Findings from the project are expected to be published in a report for airports, regulators and other aviation stakeholders.

“Aurrigo’s technology is not about replacing people, it is about taking the cold, repetitive, three-in-the-morning jobs off the roster,” Brewerton said. “It will free up experienced staff for the work that genuinely needs human judgment and gives airports a practical way to raise their safety standards.”

SENTRY builds on Aurrigo’s growing presence in airport automation. The company said its Auto-DollyTug and Auto-Cargo vehicles are already operating at eight airports worldwide.

The project is scheduled to begin in September and is part of the UK government’s £150 million CAM Pathfinder program, delivered in partnership with Zenzic and Innovate UK. Grant funding remains subject to UK government approval.