Canada Unveils North America’s First Autonomous Airport Snowplow | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-11.24.25

AirborneNextGen-
11.18.25

Airborne-Unlimited-11.19.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-11.20.25

AirborneUnlimited-11.21.25

LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

Wed, Mar 20, 2019

Canada Unveils North America’s First Autonomous Airport Snowplow

Technology Currently In Use At Winnipeg Richardson International Airport

Winnipeg Richardson International Airport introduced ‘Otto’, the first autonomous airport snowplow in North America. The plow is the result of a partnership with Manitoba companies Northstar Robotics Inc. and Airport Technologies Inc. (ATI).

‘Otto’ is a specially designed ATI Snow Mauler configured to operate autonomously using Northstar Robotics technology. The plow performs snow clearing tasks by following predetermined routes and controlling the plow blade at specific locations.

Today marks a significant milestone for the project, as the vehicle can now operate autonomously in low-risk areas of the airport. Research and development continue, with the next step being the operation of the plow in additional areas of the airport.

Otto is equipped with 3D LIDAR and RADAR that can sense its surroundings and detect obstacles. The plow is also equipped with a fault tolerant wireless emergency stop system, a further safety enhancement.

“Launching North America’s first autonomous snowplow is a great achievement for Winnipeg Richardson International Airport,” said Barry Rempel, President and CEO of Winnipeg Airports Authority. “Our success is a direct result of bringing together partners who are committed to lead transportation innovation and growth.”

“Autonomous technology is changing how we work,” added Shawn Schaerer, President and Founder of Northstar Robotics. “It is exciting to partner with companies that are ready to adapt and pioneer this cutting-edge technology.”

“ATI is proud to be part of the team breaking new ground in snow clearing technology,” said ATI’s President, Brendon Smith. “We are excited to continue to find new ways to incorporate autonomous technology into our equipment.”

(Image provided with Winnipeg Airports Authority news release)

FMI: www.waa.ca

Advertisement

More News

Airborne 11.24.25: ANN's 30th!, Starship’s V3 Booster Boom, Earhart Records

Also: 1st-Ever Space Crime Was a Fraud, IAE Buys Diamonds, Kennon Bows Out, Perseverance Rover An interesting moment came about this past Sunday as ANN CEO, Jim Campbell, noted tha>[...]

ANN FAQ: Submit a News Story!

Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: DeltaHawk Aero Engine Defies Convention

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Deviation from the Historical Mean Racine, Wisconsin-based DeltaHawk is a privately-held manufacturer of reciprocating engines for aircraft and hybrid >[...]

NTSB Final Report: Glasair GlaStar

Smoke Began Entering The Cockpit During The Landing Flare, And Then The Pilot Noticed Flames On The Right Side Of The Airplane Analysis: The pilot reported that about 30 minutes in>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (11.22.25): Remote Communications Outlet (RCO)

Remote Communications Outlet (RCO) An unmanned communications facility remotely controlled by air traffic personnel. RCOs serve FSSs. Remote Transmitter/Receivers (RTR) serve termi>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC