A team from the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology (PW) intends to develop a solution that will automatically identify faults and potential hazards on railway traction. 

For this, the researchers want to use unmanned platforms integrated with measuring devices. An automatic fault identification system using artificial intelligence will be used to analyse the collected data. 

Using this approach, the system will report not only on visible faults on the traction and its surroundings, but above all on potential damage. Preventive measures will significantly affect the quality of traction maintenance. 

“An innovative solution in the project will be the development of a loading and docking station for the drone”, emphasises Dr Antoni Kopyt, from the Faculty of Power Engineering and Aeronautics, team leader. This solution is expected to increase the autonomy of the entire system’s operation. With the station, the system becomes almost unmanned and requires only the supervision of a railway employee.