Monday, April 9, 2018

AI May Make Aircraft Control Towers Obsolete

Airport control towers are an emblem of the aviation industry. A Canadian company wants to use its technology to make them a relic of the past. Airport buffs may mourn the change. But Ontario-based Searidge Technologies believes its reasoning is, um, well-grounded. It believes AI-powered video systems can better watch runways, taxiways and gate areas. By “seeing” airport operations through as many as 200 cameras, there’s no need for the sightline towers give air traffic controllers. That doesn’t mean air traffic controllers are going away. The alternative Searidge proposes is a new concept made possible by remote towers. It’s not an easy idea to swallow for an industry that’s been reluctant to embrace change, and is sensitive to any perception safety is being compromised.