Dubai travel: How your trolley could soon ensure you don’t miss your flight

PHOTO

Travelling through Dubai International will soon become more seamless and user-friendly with the introduction of smart luggage trolleys which will also ensure that passengers don’t miss the flight.

In addition, Dubai is also working on a smart scanner technology which will provide the airport officers with a 3D view to better differentiate between harmful and unharmful liquids.

This was revealed by Thani Alzaffin, group CEO of emaratech, during the first day of the Global Conference for Shaping Future Policies of Ports in Dubai on Tuesday.

The conference was attended by senior officials of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) as well as senior immigration and border spokespersons from the Schengen region and the US.

“Smart trolley is your concierge and guide. You scan the boarding pass and have all the details (about the airport). It’s like Google of the airport with indoor navigation. It walks you to any facility. Since we know where you are at the airport, we can pick you up before you miss the flight while enjoying the experiences at Dubai Airport,” said Alzaffin.

The Dubai-based technology firm Emaratech is also one of the main investors in patent technology for smart scanners, which will help improve efficiency, reduce bottlenecks and increase the flow of passengers multiple times.

“Whenever we travel, we have to take out watches and other belongings. Going forward, when you come for check-in, you can take the trolley, put everything in it and just push it in the scanner, which will give the officer a 3D view of items. This technology identifies the difference between harmful and unharmful liquids. It is a scannable trolley,” added Alzaffin.

The company is waiting to get certification for the technology and hopes to roll it out later this year or early next year.

“Once we get the certification, we are aiming to flow around 450 passengers an hour, which is quite a lot,” he said, adding that on average 150 passengers per hour get clearance for onboarding luggage.

“We’ll say goodbye to such trays as we shift to smart trolleys. We have invested in a few products and companies and we are doing the software here in Dubai,” he added.