Automated FOD detection for airport runways
A-FOD® is an AI-based Foreign Object Debris detection system. It continuously scans the monitored areas and provides alerts with images and video for operator review.
Increase Runway/Taxiway/Apron Safety with 24/7 superior FOD detection performance
Review live video and recorded imagery to dismiss almost all false positives remotely, without a runway closure or a site visit.
Decide when to take action. Precise location, size, high resolution image and live video of the FOD.
Why A-FOD?
FODs remain to be a major safety problem in airports since they generate damages and breakdowns in planes and cause incidents. Also they cause huge airplane maintenance costs, flight delays and cancellations.
Airports put enormous effort into fighting against FODs. But finding a 3cm² FOD on thousands of square meters is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Though they can occur anytime, anywhere. Capabilities of AI perfectly match to solve this problem.
A-FOD uses AI to analyse high-resolution imagery and automatically detect and locate foreign object debris across large airside surfaces. Each alert includes the object’s location, size, detailed images and live video, allowing operators to assess the hazard remotely and decide whether a site intervention is needed.
A-FOD detects foreign object debris across runways, taxiways and other large airside surfaces. The AI model deployed at your airport is refined for your operating conditions to improve detection performance over time.
Visibility requirements
The required visibility depends on the distance between the cameras and the areas they observe. For example, in an installation with a maximum observation distance of 230 metres, A-FOD maintains its specified detection performance while visibility is at least 230 metres.
False positive alerts and operator workload
A-FOD generates an average of 1.5–2.7 false positive alerts per runway per hour. Operators review each alert using live video and recorded imagery, typically in around 15 seconds. Almost all false positives are identified and dismissed remotely, without dispatching personnel onto the runway or closing it.