Thordrive Insights(EN) | Q2 2025

The engine of innovation never stops!

ThorDrive continues to drive transformation in airport and logistics industries through autonomous driving technology, steadily expanding its global footprint.

In this issue, we share three key milestones from Q2 2025:
① the expansion of our autonomous cargo tow tractor pilot at Incheon International Airport,
② our participation in the IATA GAD Working Group, and
③ the launch of our new indoor Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) and a strategic MOU with a leading logistics platform company in Korea

Pioneering the Future of
Autonomous Mobility
at Incheon International Airport:
Cargo Tow Tractor Pilot in Full Swing

Korea’s airport logistics innovation has entered a new phase!
Moving beyond technical demonstrations, ThorDrive is now conducting integrated operational testing aligned with real ground handling procedures — a decisive step toward commercialization of autonomous cargo tow tractors at airports.

Why is the Incheon International Airport pilot important?

ThorDrive has signed a supplementary agreement with Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korean Air, and Korea Airport Service to launch Korea’s first Level 4 autonomous cargo tractor pilot, with a clear focus on commercialization. Unlike earlier pilots that focused solely on independent technical validation, this initiative brings together airport authorities, airlines, and ground handlers to test real-world ground handling scenarios under complex conditions.

This pilot marks an important shift — moving beyond vehicle performance checks toward multi-stakeholder operational testing. It’s a key milestone to verify how technology and operations can work together, laying the groundwork for full-scale commercialization in the future.

How is the pilot structured?

Our autonomous tractors tow cargo dollies along key logistics routes at the airport, replicating real ground handling flows. The pilot begins with a single vehicle to validate safety and efficiency, then gradually scales to multiple vehicles.

Over time, the scope will expand to high-risk zones such as aircraft crossing areas, ensuring robust performance in diverse environments.

What makes this pilot different?

Earlier pilots focused purely on technology — evaluating vehicle stability or sensor accuracy in isolation. In contrast, this pilot verifies airport infrastructure compatibility, operational workflows, and cross-agency coordination all at once. It examines safety standards, stakeholder collaboration models, and real-world operational feasibility required for commercialization.

What impact is expected?

Success will lay the groundwork for commercial deployment at both domestic and international airports. It is expected to address labor shortages in ground handling, reduce human error risks, and improve operational punctuality. Automated, repetitive routes will stabilize process quality and accelerate the shift toward smart airport operations.

What remains before commercialization?

Key challenges include mixed-traffic environments with aircraft and GSE, establishing emergency response protocols, and building effective collaboration models with on-site workers. Regulatory updates will also be necessary to permit autonomous vehicle operations in restricted zones.

ThorDrive will continue to work closely with its partners to propose forward-looking regulatory frameworks, collaborate on policy improvements, and develop operator training and standardized ground handling procedures — all critical steps toward commercialization. We invite you to stay tuned as we lead innovation in autonomous driving and continue shaping the future of the global logistics industry.

❗Summary❗

💡Why it matters
✅Transition from technical demos to integrated operational testing with multiple stakeholders
✅Integrated pilot involving airport operators, airlines, and ground handlers, serving as an operational testbed for commercialization

💡What’s new
✅Shift from repetitive single-technology validation tests to complex operational scenario testing linked to actual ground handling procedures
✅Expansion to dolly-towing operations and step-by-step inclusion of high-risk zones such as aircraft crossing areas
✅Transition to multi-stakeholder collaboration-based operational testing, including verification of regulatory and operational models

💡Expected benefits
✅Mitigation of ground handling labor shortages, reduction of safety risks, and improvement of on-time performance
✅Promotion of smart airport operations and enhancement of operational efficiency
✅Creation of opportunities to enter global airports utilizing results from domestic pilots

Setting the Global Standard:
Participation in the
IATA Working Group

ThorDrive is stepping onto the global stage of autonomous GSE standardization!
In early 2025, we joined IATA(International Air Transport Association)’s Strategic Partnership program and officially became part of the Working Group focused on shaping safety and operational guidelines for autonomous GSE.

What is the role of the IATA Working Group?

The IATA Working Group serves as a strategic platform where airlines, airports, GSE manufacturers, regulators, and technology companies collaborate to define risk assessments, operational guidelines, and test scenarios for autonomous GSE. The objective is to create globally harmonized guidelines that can be adopted across airports worldwide.

What does ThorDrive contribute?

Drawing on data and insights from our domestic and international pilots, ThorDrive contributes both technical expertise and operational perspectives to these discussions. As one of the few Korean companies participating from the early stages, we play a unique role in informing global conversations about safety, interoperability, and scalability.

Why is this participation meaningful?

Our participation is not about business expansion or sales — it’s about ensuring that Korean autonomous driving expertise helps shape global standards. By contributing to common guidelines that enhance safety and efficiency, ThorDrive supports industry-wide trust and adoption. This work also elevates the global visibility of Korean technology and lays a stronger foundation for future competitiveness.

❗Summary❗

💡Role of the IATA Working Group
✅International council consisting of airlines, airports, GSE manufacturers, regulators, and technology companies
✅Proposes risk assessments, safety manual, test scenarios, and operational standards for autonomous GSE
✅Aims to establish unified guidelines applicable across airports worldwide

💡ThorDrive’s role
✅Participating in standardization discussions by providing operational data and experience from domestic and international pilots

💡Significance
✅Securing an opportunity for ThorDrive’s experience and technology to be reflected in international standards
✅Contributing to greater trust and acceptance across the autonomous GSE industry

Advancing Logistics Automation:
Launch of T-RAX Indoor & FMS
and Strategic MOU

ThorDrive’s autonomous technology is expanding beyond airports into broader industrial logistics!
ThorDrive has officially launched its first indoor autonomous mobile robot(AMR), “T-RAX Indoor,” along with the integrated control platform Fleet Management System(FMS). At the same time, ThorDrive signed a strategic MOU with Korean logistics platform company NearSolution to integrate its AMR with Warehouse Execution Systems(WES) for seamless end-to-end logistics automation.

What is T-RAX Indoor?

T-RAX Indoor is the first product in ThorDrive’s industrial AMR lineup, T-RAX(ThorDrive – Robot Autonomous X-where), meaning “ThorDrive autonomous robots that can go anywhere.”

This low-profile robot is optimized for indoor environments such as manufacturing facilities and logistics centers, where it automates a variety of in-facility logistics operations — including pallet, material, and cart transport — to significantly improve workflow efficiency.

Equipped with precision localization, autonomous path generation, and static/dynamic obstacle avoidance, T-RAX Indoor enhances both productivity and safety. Additionally, its domestic production enables rapid customization and responsive maintenance, maximizing long-term ROI for customers.

What is the role of the FMS?

Launched alongside T-RAX Indoor, the Fleet Management System(FMS) serves as an integrated platform for managing and controlling multiple heterogeneous robots, including the T-RAX Indoor itself. Through a web-based dashboard UI, operators can monitor real-time location, status, and task information of all robots, and issue commands or remote controls with ease.

Key AI modules within FMS further enhance operational efficiency:
※ MARS(Multi-Agent Robot System for Collaborative Autonomy): Coordinates the paths of multiple heterogeneous robots in real time, preventing collisions, reducing logistics bottlenecks, and improving overall stability and flow.
※ VLM(Vision-Language Model): Enables robots to understand voice and text commands and describe visual information in natural language, allowing seamless human-robot interaction. This makes it easy for non-experts to operate the robots and improves accessibility and efficiency on the work floor.

FMS also integrates flexibly with WMS(Warehouse Management Systems) and WES(Warehouse Execution Systems), enabling a fully unified management platform for warehouse and logistics operations.

What value does this bring to industry?

Beyond simply supplying equipment, ThorDrive provides integrated automation solutions tailored to each customer’s environment. Our approach addresses structural challenges such as labor shortages, rising labor costs, and safety risks — and is highly scalable across industries including manufacturing, logistics, and retail.

By combining T-RAX Indoor with the FMS platform, ThorDrive introduces a new paradigm of collaborative autonomous logistics solutions that redefine efficiency and flexibility in industrial settings.

What is the core of this MOU?

ThorDrive and Korean intelligent logistics platform company NearSolution have agreed to integrate WES with autonomous mobile robots to build a truly end-to-end automation framework. This will enable seamless logistics flows spanning indoor warehouse operations, outdoor yards, and transport routes. In particular, by combining NearSolution’s WES platform “NearSolomon” with ThorDrive’s AMR technology, the two companies will strengthen the SDW(Software Defined Warehouse) strategy and accelerate commercialization through upcoming pilot projects.

ThorDrive’s AMR and FMS solutions are just at the beginning of their journey, setting new standards for industrial logistics. Stay tuned for upcoming pilot projects and expansion updates in the months ahead.

❗Summary❗

💡Meaning and features of T-RAX
✅ThorDrive - Robot Autonomous X-where
✅Refers to a versatile lineup of autonomous robots deployable across various environments
✅Supports payloads up to 700 kg and enables transport of pallets, materials, and carts for a wide range of logistics operations

💡Role of the Fleet Management System (FMS)
✅Integrated control platform based on MARS(Multi-Agent Robot System for Collaborative Autonomy) and VLM(Vision-Language Model)
✅Supports simultaneous multi-robot control, real-time monitoring, and voice/text command interfaces
✅Web-based dashboard UI with WMS and WES integration to maximize operational efficiency

💡Industrial value and scalability
✅Provides customized solutions beyond standalone equipment supply
✅Addresses structural challenges such as labor shortages, rising labor costs, and safety risks
✅Expandable to industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and retail
✅Enhances customer ROI and ensures long-term operational stability

💡Core of the MOU
✅ThorDrive and Near Solution to build an end-to-end automated logistics framework for seamless flow automation
✅Strengthen SDW(Software Defined Warehouse) strategy and accelerate commercialization through pilot projects

Moving Forward Together

ThorDrive will continue to expand autonomous pilots at airports worldwide, lead the conversation on global standardization, and extend AMR applications into diverse industries. Our mission is to prove that autonomous driving is more than just movement — it’s a catalyst for transforming entire industrial ecosystems.

Join us on this journey.

This newsletter is published by ThorDrive.
We are pioneering the era of autonomous airport GSE systems.
We'll be back soon with more stories and possibilities.