Heathrow Unveils Laser-Guided Transport Pods
LONDON, Sept. 22, 2011 — Heathrow Airport now has 21 laser-guided pods to transport passengers and their luggage along a dedicated 3.8-km (2.4 mile) guide way to their destination.
![](https://www.photonics.com/images/Web/Articles/2011/9/22/LAS_Pod1.jpg)
(Images: Ultra PRT)
The systems are low-energy, battery-operated, zero-emission vehicles. Each pod is temperature-controlled, and passengers can select their own direct destination. A central computer ensures that pods are distributed at each station according to passenger demand. The pods recharge themselves at battery points while waiting for passengers.
![](https://www.photonics.com/images/Web/Articles/2011/9/22/LAS_Pod2.jpg)
The pod system, which initially was devised in 1995 as a Bristol University project, was developed by UK-based Ultra and the BAA, formerly the British Airport Authority. The Heathrow pod took six years to develop at a cost of £30 million (about $46 million).
It is estimated that the new system will cut the number of bus journeys around Heathrow by 50,000 per year, according to the BAA.
For more information, visit: www.ultraprt.com
Published: September 2011