“A picture is worth a thousand words.” This age-old adage appears to have inspired a start-up that is trying to deploy artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI & ML) to detect anomalies in train carriages using images.
Several innovators are working on ways to reduce train accidents and make train tracks safer for the countless people who often travel by train. A number of these innovations aimed at modernizing Indian Railways were showcased at the sixth edition of Innorail India, an international exhibition organized here in association with the Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO).
AI identifies anomalies in wagons
The start-up ‘L2MRail’, incubated by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has developed a ‘Machine Vision Based Inspection System (MVIS)’. S Rai Ganapa, its founder, said, “MVIS is a joint innovation of Indian Railways and IISc. It uses the power of AI and ML to automate and optimize the rolling stock inspection process. Using advanced image processing, our system identifies defects and other anomalies in railcars.
“It significantly improves operational safety, reduces downtime and minimizes manual inspection errors, providing railway operators with comprehensive information for rapid maintenance and predictive analysis and provides real-time alerts by instantly generating alerts SMS on suspended parts, defective EM buffers, speed and number of axles after the train has passed.
He added that one such system was currently installed at Aligarh railway station. “Between June 2023 and October 2024, MVIS scanned 13,189 trains and 12,79,477 wagons or locomotives, and identified 21,287 defects.
Harnesses detect problems in the wheels
Apna Technologies & Solution has imagined two technologies to prevent railway accidents: the wheel impact load detector or the WILD and hot box detector. These technologies were on display at the exhibition.
“WILD is an intelligent, unmanned system that measures wheel impact load on railway tracks caused by wheel defects,” said Senthil CD, its CEO.
Vikas Gurwani, Product Director of the company, spoke about the beam hot box detector: “It is installed at the axle box to check the temperature near and far from the axle. It is installed at track level to measure wheel temperature. The beam can inform us about safety-critical diagnostics, which can prevent disasters like a derailment or rolling stock fire.
