Skift IDEAS: San José Mineta International Airport Pilots Autonomous Personal Mobility Vehicle

San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) has launched a pilot scheme featuring BBGO, a fully autonomous personal mobility vehicle from Blueberry Technology.

The BBGO has been designed to ‘supplement mobility needs for those who do not want to use a wheelchair, but who may still want support navigating through the Airport’.

The vehicle taking part in the pilot - named “Dorothy” after famed chemist, Dorothy Hodgkin - will offer users fully autonomous rides to their departure gates by simply scanning their boarding passes, with the added option of personalizing journeys to include stops at restrooms, shops and restaurants. 

In addition to the fully autonomous option, the BBGO can be steered by a user controlled joystick or via traditional manual pushing. For safety, the vehicle is equipped with an automatic collision avoidance system.

“We are very proud to be immersed in the ingenuity of Silicon Valley. Providing an opportunity to pilot test in a real airport environment allows us to be on the cutting edge of customer experience while supporting companies like Blueberry, who can see a real need and use innovation and technology to develop a solution,” said, John Aitken, SJC Airport Director.