Automation has taken over many jobs that were previously done by humans. Factory workers. Telephone operators. Even self-checkout, which typically still needs the buyer, is possible because of the advent of SKUs, scanners, and credit cards rather than item numbers and cash.
Of course, SOME automated things make workers’ lives easier. Doctors type their notes instead of writing them by hand, making legibility a non-issue for anyone trying to read their chicken scrawl. The Dewey Decimal System was great, but searching in a library is much easier when everything is computerized. And, of course, robots doing tasks that involve potentially dangerous activities that can run the gamut from caustic materials to repetitive motions, can save or improve the health of countless lives.
Automation: Progress or Profit?
But sometimes automation simply saves big companies money because they don’t have to pay workers when they’re not, well, human.
For example, several cities have introduced self-driving taxis, and they’ve had some degree of success, albeit with some big hiccups. So does it surprise anybody that self-driving wheelchairs are popping up at airports around the world?
Enter the Self-Driving Wheelchair
Autonomous wheelchairs have been available for airports since around 2017. WHILL is the only company in the world that operates self-driving wheelchairs on a commercial level, and they’ve partnered with wheelchair push vendors around the planet. They can be found at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport (Canada), Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Rome Fiumicino Airport (Italy), as well as several airports in Japan, including Haneda, Kansai, Narita, and Chubu Centrair International Airports. Additional long-term trials are ongoing at airports worldwide, including Schiphol Airport (The Netherlands). WHILL’s self-driving wheelchairs made their debut in the U.S in late 2024, and you can find their self-driving wheelchairs at DTW, LAX, MIA and Sea-Tac.
The Reality Check
Of course, every time you see a press release, report or ad for autonomous wheelchairs, they wax poetically about how wonderful they are. They’re convenient. Safe. Passengers and airports love them. You get the idea
. But it’s harder to find a true candid report about them…you know, not one tied with a bow to make the chairs look good. There was one article on GeekWire that went into the chairs having issues with unexpected obstacles, which included this amusing video (spoilers: errant “wet floor” signs are apparently not the chair’s friend).
But it wasn’t until I found this review from someone who actually used one, that I started to have second thoughts about them (review posted with author’s permission. Author requested to remain anonymous).
I have an injury and needed a wheelchair at SEA. The attendant brought me down the jetway in a standard chair and told me they now have robot wheelchairs that are self-driving. Would I like to try that, he asked innocently. I thought it sounded like an adventure, so I said sure. So I was the sucker born that minute. I put my seatbelt on and he scanned my destination into the wheelchair. For 11 minutes, I was subjected to the same three tones over and over, as the wheelchair tried to indicate to people that it was coming. It traveled at half the speed of a human-friven wheelchair. But the worst was the near constant whiplash, as it slammed on the brakes anytime anyone was within 30 feet of the front of the wheelchair. There is a pause button, but not a “abort this and get me a regular wheelchair button.” I stuck it out. Then the wheelchair arrived and I got out. The chair then departed to find the next person stupid enough to try it. I saw one gate full of twenty or more of these idiot devices, with no one around. I saw many other people using wheelchairs, but I was the only fool in a robot chair. 0/10 do not recommend. If you happen to be in Seattle and see a poor sod in one of these chairs, please do not add to their discomfort by walking directly in front of the chair!
So there ya go. Using one of those automated wheelchairs at the airport might be great…or you may feel like you’re putting your life in your hands. As with everything in this world, as the good blog says, Your Mileage May Vary!
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