Project Narrative

Project 1 highlights the critical challenges faced by traditional airport baggage handling systems, which are often inefficient and unreliable resulting in misplaced, delayed, or damaged luggage, disrupting passenger experiences and hindering operational efficiency. Addressing these problems requires real-time solutions that prioritize sustainability, dependability, and streamlined processes to enhance overall airport operations and ensure a seamless passenger experience.

Figure 1: Final CAD mechanism

Our project focused on designing an efficient and reliable baggage handling system. The design utilized a modular ramp mechanism powered by a linear actuator, incorporating guardrails for luggage security and sustainability-focused components.

Objectives:

• Design a dependable, efficient, and sustainable baggage handling system
• Mitigate recurring issues faced by traditional airports
• Improve operational efficiency while focusing on simplicity, durability, and environmental responsibility
• Develop a practical prototype through iterative testing and collaboration
• Meet the functional and environmental demands of modern airports

Design:

The design had to be modular, allowing for easy part replacement to reduce downtime and repair costs. It also needed to be space-efficient, environmentally friendly, and compatible with varying luggages while ensuring secure transport. The system facilitated luggage transfer between Platform A and Platform B using a bridging mechanism with a linear actuator. Guardrails secured the luggage during transport, protecting it from damage and ensuring operational reliability.

Constraints:

• Cost-effective and environmentally friendly
• Components should be durable and able to withstand frequent use
• The system must fit within the available space and restrictions
• The linear actuator must be able to support the ramp’s movement effectively

Functions:

• Smooth and efficient luggage transfer between platforms (Platform A to Platform B)
• Deploy a ramp using a linear actuator for seamless transition
• Ensure luggage is securely transported without risk of damage
• Enable easy maintenance and part replacement

Timeline

Figure 2: Timeline of project work

Team’s Work and Personal Contributions

My contributions as Manager:

• Led the final system model refinement for coding, and contributed to modelling the linear actuator holder (refer to figure 3)
• Developed functions for tracking luggage and ensuring smooth transitions between platforms
• Co-created, tested, and finalized code to accurately utilize the Q-Arm robot
• Took responsibility for debugging the program, particularly resolving issues arising from incorrect indentation and nested loops
• Tackled the challenge of working with dictionaries, which were new to me, and spent extra time understanding their use in the project