KLM Has a Self-Driving Trolley to Guide People Through Airports
Navigating through unknown airport terminals can be a nightmare; you don't know which way to go, where your gate is or if there's a change, or where the restrooms and restaurants are. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines wants to change that and make your trips a little bit easier this summer.
The airline is launching a self-driving trolley that will guide KLM passengers through airports while transporting their carry-on luggage. The trolley, a nonverbal, small, blue cart, called Care-E, will greet passengers after the security checkpoint, prompt them to scan their boarding pass and guide them to any location within the airport.
Care-E will be available for a free, two-day passenger demo trial at New York (JFK) and San Francisco (SFO) airports in later this month and in August — KLM hasn't confirmed a set date for either airport. The robot assistant will know if your gate has been changed and can carry up to 85 pounds of your carry-on luggage. Care-E will also move at the average human walking pace, around 3mph.
Check out KLM's introduction to Care-E, below:
While KLM is planning to launch Care-E at JFK and SFO at some point in July and August, the device is not yet functional.Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images