Ground_Support_October_2020 - 26

GROUND SERVICE
PROVIDERS

outside factors, human error will crop up
from time to time.
With technology, though, human error in
ground damage is beginning to be engineered
out of the equation.
"I'm a firm believer in 80-20, you're never
going to get rid of all of it. If you can identify
your major drivers, and that being human
factors, the best way to do it is to engineer
out the human factor," says Griffith.
Controlled approach is a technical measure that Mallaghan is building into its
GSE, allowing the machine to take action
independently of the operator to avoid aircraft collision.
"[Controlled approach] utilizes several very
high power, 3D cameras and distance sensors,
and programs and logic controllers, that are
making calculations to determine relative
distance to an aircraft and slow the vehicle
down, along with then applying the brakes,"
Griffith says.

Mallaghan has been developing their controlled approach technology for five years and
the feature is incorporated into most of the
GSE the company produces.
"We've leveraged major players in the space
of detection sensors and hardware to develop
a system that works extremely well for us.
And then, we leverage our own internal engineering and programming designers to help
us make that system work flawlessly in the
application," Griffith says.
Retrofitting the technology onto GSE can
become difficult given the processes the system needs to interface with to work successfully, such as braking, electrical and internal
computer systems.
"The older it gets, the more difficult it
becomes, is the best way to say it. Purpose-built equipment is the easiest. Commercial chassis presents challenges. And
then, every older year of commercial chassis
becomes exponentially more difficult to make

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26 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

OCTOBER 2020

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it work, because, even five, six years ago, some
vehicles' throttle and brake systems had no
computer reference at all," Griffith explains.
"Now, when you press the pedal on a new
truck, it runs through a computer. So, you
can interrupt those signals and you can apply
brakes, because of the level of computer integration. But without that, it becomes exceptionally difficult," he continues.
Mallaghan works closely with other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) utilizing their technology to ensure successful
integration during production.
Controlled appraoch is initiated with the
flip of one or two switches and pressing the
engage button. Getting trained on the system
is equally easy, taking only 15 to 20 minutes
- all designed around limiting the human
factor.
"The system itself needs to be intuitive,"
Griffith says. "A properly designed system
that's done right, you don't want to have
extensive training. If it requires eight hours of
training, that's eight hours of human factors
that you're having to put into it."
That said, Griffith still stresses the need
for mindfulness in operations and not
becoming complacent just because an operator's GSE has this technology built into it.
"Nothing's perfect. There is always the
potential for these things. Diligence, vigilance, is probably the biggest thing. If you
become complacent and you're relying on that
anti-collision system, and let's say that there
was a failure of something and the unit's not
slowing down, interjecting or getting involved
would be key," he says.

The Technology of Tomorrow,
Today
Griffith says that he sees GSE technology
evolving to incorporate the internet of things
(IoT), where GSE, airport infrastructure and
the aircraft themselves will all communicate.
He anticipates in eight to 10 years, the technology will be ubiquitous.
Working to bring that technology to the
market is EmbedTek.
Kent Tabor, president and CTO, EmbedTek, says one of the technologies they are
developing uses 3D imaging to create a map
of the airfield where GSE is located. This map
could be used by GSE to navigate the ramp
with the dimensions of aircraft included.

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Ground_Support_October_2020

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