Asian Aviation Editor Matt Driskill is In Conversation with Aaron Hornlimann, CEO of Elenium Automation in Australia. Hornlimann discusses airport automation, the reopening of Asian borders, biometrics and more. Hornlimann is CEO and Founder of Melbourne-based Elenium Automation, a company that uses advanced self-service technologies to help industries move people faster and safer. Founded in 2016, Elenium now employs over 80 staff. An entrepreneur and technologist, Hornlimann has been a driving force for some of the most notable innovations to self-service and automation. Only 35-years old, to date more than 250 million people have used systems and technologies developed under Hornlimann’s leadership. In 2015 Hornlimann was one of 35 Australians to be recognised for their contribution to innovation, being inducted into the Enterprising Australians exhibition at the Australian Science and Technology Centre in Canberra.
Elenium’s journey started in 2015 when Hornlimann, identified the need for faster passenger experiences at airports. While technology was advancing, airports remained trapped in an earlier decade where airport congestion was normal. Technology was inconvenient. Manual administration was slow. The passenger experience needed to become seamless and enjoyable. Elenium developed VYGR (short for Voyager), a suite of self-service solutions to transform the passenger experience at airports. In just 4 years, Elenium’s Voyager products have been deployed at domestic and international airports around the world to provide a seamless passenger experience from check-in to boarding.
In 2020, following the outbreak of COVID-19, Elenium pivoted to offer its airport-grade solutions for improved safety across a variety of industries with the launch of HealthGate. Elenium soon launched FaceWay, a tablet sized device that uses facial recognition to provide faster experiences in the everyday.
(Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in August but delayed for technical reasons.)