CVG in Northern Kentucky Tests New Technologies
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in Northern Kentucky is a living laboratory for progress in aviation.
With more than 16,000 campus employees spread out among its 7,000 acres, CVG is an ideal partner for startups, large companies, universities and government agencies looking to test new technologies. Its infrastructure and services make it uniquely positioned to redefine the role of an airport in the 21st century.
“Our main motivation is to leverage talent and technology for a better experience for our passengers, employees and business partners,” says Brian Cobb, CVG chief innovation officer. “It’s what pushes us to do better than the day before.”
As a large airport undergoing a significant modernization project, CVG in Northern Kentucky is committed to working with innovative companies that can enhance operations and improve the passenger experience.
On the Move
One such opportunity could be an upgrade to the airport’s ground transportation network of trams and moving walkways, which was first installed last century.
Beltways, an accelerating walkway company co-founded by brothers John and Matine Yuksel, is partnering with CVG in Northern Kentucky and targeting a trial deployment of its modular accelerating walkway at the airport in 2025.
Beltways has developed a more efficient, pitless, modular and cost-effective solution for pedestrian transit that is packaged with a digital twin technology to improve reliability and maintainability.
The system’s novel design allows passengers to experience a comfortable entry and smooth acceleration up to 10 times the speed of current systems, then a gradual deceleration to a safe exit.
“The Beltways accelerating walkway provides many operational benefits to airports, but I’m most excited to see the joy in passengers as they ride our systems to and from their gates,” John Yuksel says. “The experience is unlike anything people have experienced before.”
The partnership also opens the door to future opportunities, such as expanding the accelerating walkway network across the entire CVG campus in Northern Kentucky, potentially making it the first airport in the world to feature such a comprehensive system.
CVG’s proximity to Beltways’ headquarters in Hebron, Kentucky, ensures that the airport will benefit from local, best-in-class support and maintenance for the new transit system, while also supporting job growth in the region.
Improving Experiences
In addition to Beltways, CVG in Northern Kentucky is partnering with several other companies to improve operations. For example:
- CVG is the first U.S. airport to deploy autonomous floor-scrubbing robots through its partnership with robotics company Avidbots.
- The airport has collaborated with companies on wearable and innovative computer vision technology to improve its operations. It tested a system that sent real-time alerts to airport employees’ wearable devices informing them of issues like congestion or disabled vehicles on the curb front.
- Differential, a digital products company, helped CVG improve day-to-day planning and scheduling. The airport serves more than 9 million travelers each year who navigate through traffic, security and gate changes. EASE, or Enterprise Awareness & Situational Exceptions, is CVG’s first patent-pending software developed with Differential. EASE helps airport operations teams respond in real time by collecting key insights that predict customer behavior, allowing them to tackle potential issues before they arise. The software solution is being marketed to other airports and large campus-like entities that can benefit from visualizing their real-time operational data on one dashboard.
- Donovan Energy, a clean energy project development and finance company, partnered with CVG in Northern Kentucky to assess the main parking structure’s power needs and find ways to reduce the garage’s power consumption. The result was the installation of a parking guidance system that improved lighting and reduced energy consumption.
“A benefit of being an innovative facility is our willingness to test new ideas and then adapt those to serving the airport’s customers, Cobb says. “We’re putting theory into action. We partner, we test, we launch. Our relationship with universities provides access to subject matter experts in fields beyond our expertise, validating and delivering on what’s possible.”
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