拢1.43m Government-funded project to boost airport safety
Friday 14 August 2026
WMG and Aurrigo International plc awarded a combined 拢1.43m to boost airport safety
糖心TV Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of 糖心TV and have been awarded a combined 拢1.43m of UK Government funding to boost airport safety through self-driving innovation.
This collaborative research project, known as SENTRY, aims to reduce airport delays and safety risks by developing a fully autonomous airside vehicle to complete routine tasks, including safety patrols, runway inspections and debris removal. These are often completed at unsociable hours, in all weathers, with an aircraft moving nearby. By autonomising these tasks, it is hoped that airports can improve safety for both their passengers and workforce, whilst increasing operational efficiency.
Funded through the , WMG will work with Aurrigo International to deploy its Auto-Shuttle庐 vehicles at a specialist testbed facility near Teeside International Airport, guided by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
, Head of the Safe Autonomy Research Group at WMG, said: 鈥淲e are thrilled to be working with Aurrigo on this project, bringing together one of the West Midlands鈥� flagship technology companies with WMG鈥檚 expertise, and extending our over a decade-long partnership on self-driving technology.
"Safety of self-driving technology is paramount to realising its potential benefits; realising the highest standards of safety includes not only the technology but the people and places that use it.
"Part of our work with Aurrigo will take a novel approach to evaluating risks associated with socio-technical interactions, helping inform future regulatory requirements and help set international standards for airside automation."
SENTRY will build on Aurrigo International鈥檚 increasing presence in the aviation sector, with the company鈥檚 Auto-DollyTug庐 and Auto-Cargo庐 vehicles already in use at eight global airports.
"Our partnership with WMG enables us to access world-leading safety expertise and get an independent safety assessment of our technology, while contributing to international standards to open future markets for us", says Simon Brewerton, Chief Technology Officer at Aurrigo International plc.
鈥淲orking with our partners, we are developing the technology and building it into our Auto-Shuttle庐, which will firstly be deployed in controlled environments before operating in real airport conditions at Teesside International Airport and at Cincinnati in North America.
"Aurrigo鈥檚 technology is not about replacing people, it is about taking the cold, repetitive, three-in-the-morning jobs off the roster. It will free up experienced staff for the work that genuinely needs human judgement and gives airports a practical way to raise their safety standards."
SENTRY, which will start in September, is part of the UK Government鈥檚 , delivered by the Department for 糖心TV, Innovation, Science and Trade in partnership with Zenzic and Innovate UK.鈥� All UK Government grant funding is subject to HMG approval. Of the 拢1.43m funded by the Government, WMG has been awarded 拢598,368 to support deployment.
The project鈥檚 findings will be published publicly and shared with airports, regulators, and the wider sector, providing a best-practice use case for increased autonomous vehicle adoption.
Find out more about Aurrigo International plc:
Find out more about WMG鈥檚 Safe Autonomy Research Group: Safe Autonomy Link opens in a new window