Airport “living lab” to host industry day
13 January 2025
by Jonathan Andrews
Purdue University Airport will hold an open day where the public can see use cases of the next generation of smart airport technologies.
The solutions have been developed alongside partners, Ericsson and Saab. Since the collaboration began in 2023, the Lab2Life (L2L) platform has harnessed private 5G to unlock advanced use cases shaping the future of aviation and deployed in real world settings.
“Lab trials are valuable but proving that these solutions hold up in the complexity of an actual airport environment is the ultimate test,” said Adam Schipper, Global Vertical Lead- Aviation at Ericsson, and Craig Marcinkowski, Director of Strategy from Saab, in a joint statement. “Testing new technologies in a real airport with real use cases, deployed over a private 5G network provided by Ericsson, is what sets the ‘Lab2Life’ apart.”
The Indiana-based airport remains one of only a handful of airports still owned and operated by a university. The L2L platform is comprised of an Ericsson Private 5G wireless network that enables advanced aviation solutions and Saab’s airport operations safety platforms called Aerobahn and SAFE.
On joining the living lab, Saab wanted to assess its platforms in a wireless setting to explore potential improvements and applications, particularly in areas beyond FAA-regulated airspace, such as autonomous drones. The company is collaborating with Purdue on various innovation and educational initiatives, including plans to utilise the resource for creating digital twins of major international airports for training and simulation purposes.
“Having all these solutions in a tested, functional environment will save time for airports as they are eventually rolled out more broadly, because the technology will be tested and validated–a critical leg up in the highly-regulated world of aviation,” said Schipper and Marcinkowski.
“The initiative is setting a new standard for airport operations, serving as a global blueprint for scaling advanced technologies in the connect airports of the future. Through the power of private 5G, the project is paving the way for next generation of aviation solutions that enhance operational efficiency and elevate safety throughout every step of air travel.”
Image: Purdue University / Rebecca Wilcox
