Southwest Airlines will no longer allow robot passengers to board its planes.
The airline has implemented an official policy which prevents customers from transporting any “humanlike” or “animallike” robots “in the cabin or as checked baggage, regardless of size.”
A “humanlike robot” is defined by Southwest as a robot that is designed to resemble or imitate a human in its appearance, movement or behavior. A similar definition is used for “animallike robots,” per People.
Any other robots — such as toys — have to fit within a carry-on size bag and comply with existing battery restrictions to be taken on planes.
The new policy applies to humanoid robots, “regardless of size or purpose,” per USA Today.
The company shared that its primary concern that led to the policy is the size of lithium-ion batteries that are used to power robots. These batteries pose a risk of fire on flights.
The founder of The Robot Studio, Aaron Mehdizadeh, claims the batteries aren’t an issue. “It’s not a battery policy because the battery we used is essentially a laptop battery,” Mehdizadeh said, per People.
Stewie’s first flight
Earlier this month, The Robot Studio went viral after Mehdizadeh bought a seat on a Southwest flight for Stewie, a 3½-foot humanoid robot. In order to accommodate battery restrictions, the robot was outfitted with a smaller battery to pass through security.
“Most people were very excited to see a robot flying and it provided so much entertainment,” Mehdizadeh said, per CBS News Texas.
When Stewie went on the flight, airline employees were unsure how to handle having the robot on board, since it counted as a carry-on item and could not remain in a passenger seat, per USA Today.
In the end, the airline moved the robot to a window seat and removed its battery before continuing to Dallas.
According to USA Today, lithium-ion batteries have previously caused onboard fires, including one that caused an emergency landing in San Diego.
Mehdizadeh said he hopes Southwest will eventually reconsider the ban on humanoid robots if they meet safety standards.