Successor Baggage Tags Developed at Eindhoven Airport
The application of artificial intelligence in the check-in of hold baggage is reliable and workable. In time, this could make labeling hold baggage a thing of the past. This is evident from the first results of the ‘Bag recognition’ test that BagsID and Vanderlande conducted from August to December 2020 at Eindhoven Airport. To test the technology even more thoroughly and extensively, Eindhoven Airport is extending the pilot until 2023.
According to BagsID, Eindhoven Airport is the first airport in the world to test this technology. It is expected that the use of this new technology will be more accurate, environmentally friendly and cheaper than checking in hold baggage via scanning baggage tags. It also has the advantage of notifying passengers of the status and location of their luggage. It is more accurate because the new way of checking in does not require luggage tags. Now passengers sometimes attach luggage tags incorrectly or they become detached from the suitcase. It is more environmentally friendly because no luggage tags and label printers are needed. To illustrate, 1.2 million labels were printed at Eindhoven Airport in 2019. In addition, these cameras are cheaper and the installation of such cameras is easier than the 360-degree barcode scanners. Checking in hold baggage without scanning baggage labels is also more user-friendly. The passenger just needs to take a picture of his suitcase and upload it. He also always knows the status and location of the luggage via track and trace.
“The first phase of the trial has been completed successfully. The camera set-ups in Eindhoven Airport's baggage system have demonstrated that the technology can be very useful and offer many advantages.”
Nevertheless, barcoded baggage tags will not disappear for the time being, Van der Smaal emphasizes. The information on the baggage labels contains a mandatory 10-digit code, which is prescribed in the guidelines (RP 740) of the International Air Transport Association. In addition, the arrival airport often does not yet have these smart cameras.
“The airport and Vanderlande gave us the opportunity to implement, test and improve our technology. Our algorithm has performed well beyond expectations. We will further develop the application possibilities of this image recognition technology at Eindhoven Airport in 2021.”
In the next trial period, the image recognition algorithm will be linked to the baggage system. Then a test will be done in which passengers of a selected flight check in their hold baggage without a baggage label but only by having a photo of their suitcase taken. The passengers are then notified on their mobile about the status and location of their suitcase up to the final destination.
This article was originally published by Eindhoven Airport.
