Self-driving Ottobots take test run at Pittsburgh’s airport
As Thanksgiving travelers move through Pittsburgh International Airport this week, the airport is testing robots meant to deliver goods such as bottled water and snacks to those who don’t want to stop at one of the shops.
Tech startup company Ottonomy.IO, which lists offices in Brooklyn, N.Y., and in Noida, India, has been testing autonomous delivery vehicles at the airport in Findlay this month, according to the airport’s Blue Sky News blog.
Eventually, according to the site, customers sitting at a gate waiting for their plane will be able to order using an app on their phone, the robot will then pick up the item and deliver it.
Ottonomy launched in 2020 and has previously been testing its Ottobots at places such as Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The robots use LIDAR, similar to selfdriving cars and trucks.
According to the Blue Sky blog post, the company is now working with airport staff and volunteer travelers at the airport to deliver bottles of water.
In 2020, the airport teamed up with Lawrenceville-based Carnegie Robotics to start using two robotic floor-cleaning scrubbers equipped with ultraviolet light disinfecting technology to sanitize and prevent the spread of COVID-19.