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Airline Luggage: First to automate the loading and unloading luggage on airline jets. [Because the...

...Transportation Security Administration now prohibits airline passengers from locking their suitcases, airlines are currently experiencing rampant thievery by their human baggage handlers when these humans load luggage into the underbellies of airline jets.  With no locks on any of the luggage and the humans knowing that no one is watching them while in the underbelly of the jet, they can and do rifle through luggage looking for valuables.  By automating this process, such theft will be eliminated.]  The automated system must be able to load and unload a narrow-body airline jet (e.g., Boeing 737) and a wide-body airline jet (e.g., Boeing 747); be able to unload both types of airline jets where the luggage was loaded by humans; take into account the weight of each piece of luggage and load the jet so the weight of the luggage is nearly perfectly balanced for the jet; and not need or require a human getting into the airline jet's underbelly at anytime during the process.

To win this challenge, the system must be demonstrated before the press at a press conference at a major airport where the luggage is delivered as it would be for a typical airline jet parked at a debarking/loading spot.  The press must be allowed to install at least one video camera inside the underbelly to videotape the system doing its job.  The press must be allowed to bring their own luggage (likely packed with inexpensive fragile items) to add to the luggage to be loaded to show it can handle luggage that is unknown to its system.
 
To win this challenge (and any of the following future challenges), the program must also include a learning algorithm, must transmit at least once per operational day what it has learned to the company that developed the program, and download updates from that central server.

Future Challenges:

1) First airport to regularly use the above system for at least one of the parking spots for the airline jets that use its airport.  This parking spot must be a high traffic parking spot for that airport.

2) First airport to regularly use the above system for at least half of the parking spots for the airline jets that use its airport.

3) First airport to regularly use the above system for all of the parking spots for the airline jets that use its airport.

4) First major airline (1,000 jets or more) that has all of the luggage of all of its airline jets loaded and unloaded by the fully-automated system at all airports it services.  To win this future challenge, the airline must also run prime-time TV ads informing the public of this on at least CNBC, CNN, FNC, and the Travel Channel in the USA.  The commercials must air at least 100 times in prime-time on each of the before-mentioned four cable TV networks.

Discussion:
If you would like to discuss this challenge with others, click here to go to this challenge's discussion forum.
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