Yeti Snow Technology owned jointly by Semcon, Øveraasen and Husqvarna, has developed self-driving snow removal vehicles together with the Norwegian airport operator Avinor. The solution aim to increase efficiency and reduce delays at airports. A full-scale pilot was tested 19 March 2018 at Fagernes Airport in Norway.

For the winter season 2018/19 Yeti Snow Technology was present at Oslo Airport Gardermoen. Two autonomous sweepers were a part of the ordinary winter maintenance, participating in regular operations.

The project is one of the first in the world where large vehicles are adapted to autonomously handle the important task of keeping runways clear from snow. The snow removal vehicles are 20 metres long and 5,5 metres wide.

Øveraasen is contributing its deep technical knowledge and Semcon in Norway provides its expertise in complex real-time systems and autonomous technology. “Every minute a plane is parked is precious. We see great potential for gains in accessibility, but also for the environment and safety because the machine is self-driven,” says Hans Peter Havdal, general manager for Semcon Norway.

A unique element is that the solution will operate in the most difficult conditions imaginable for autonomous vehicles: heavy snowfall and poor visibility.
“An airport is like a miniature society with clear and ambitious targets for the business. If we can get self-driving vehicles to operate there, we can apply the technology to any field whatsoever,” says Hans Peter Havdal.

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