Importance and applications of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) in railway maintenance sector: a review

Maintenance, which is critical for safe, reliable, quality, and cost-effective service, plays a dominant role in the railway industry. Therefore, this paper examines the importance and applications of Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) in railway maintenance. More than 70 research publications, which are either in practice or under investigation describing RAS developments in the railway maintenance, are analysed. It has been found that the majority of RAS developed are for rolling-stock maintenance, followed by railway track maintenance. Further, it has been found that there is growing interest and demand for robotics and autonomous systems in the railway maintenance sector, which is largely due to the increased competition, rapid expansion and ever-increasing expense

The rise of the robots

The current paper is an extract from the paper Robotics Horizon. The paper is aimed at a general public to inform about current developments in robotics in the UK

A review on the prospects of mobile manipulators for smart maintenance of railway track

Inspection and repair interventions play vital roles in the asset management of railways. Autonomous mobile manipulators possess considerable potential to replace humans in many hazardous railway track maintenance tasks with high efficiency. This paper investigates the prospects of the use of mobile manipulators in track maintenance tasks. The current state of railway track inspection and repair technologies is initially reviewed, revealing that very few mobile manipulators are in the railways. Of note, the technologies are analytically scrutinized to ascertain advantages, unique capabilities, and potential use in the deployment of mobile manipulators for inspection and repair tasks across various industries. Most mobile manipulators in maintenance use ground robots, while other applications use aerial, underwater, or space robots. Power transmission lines, the nuclear industry, and space are the most extensive application areas. Clearly, the railways infrastructure managers can benefit from the adaptation of best practices from these diversified designs and their broad deployment, leading to enhanced human safety and optimized asset digitalization. A case study is presented to show the potential use of mobile manipulators in railway track maintenance tasks. Moreover, the benefits of the mobile manipulator are discussed based on previous research. Finally, challenges and requirements are reviewed to provide insights into future research

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 359)

This bibliography lists 164 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during Jan. 1992. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and physiology, life support systems and man/system technology, protective clothing, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, planetary biology, and flight crew behavior and performance

Transport 2040 : analysis of technical developments in transport - maritime, air, rail and road

A number of technical and socio-technical factors are driving the development and adoption of automation. The report, Transport 2040: Automation, Technology, Employment – The Future of Work, provided an overview of the most important trends forecasted to affect the global transport sector by 2040. This current report provides additional details of that assessment. The research conducted is guided by a transport-technology analytical model that provides a structure for a systematic review across different modes of transport. This report reviews, in particular, the transportation technology through the lens of transport vehicles (e.g. ships, trucks, trains, aircraft) and the technical infrastructure that is needed for the operation of the vehicle (e.g. waterways and harbours, roads, railway tracks and freight terminals, as well as controlled airspace and airports).https://commons.wmu.se/lib_reports/1076/thumbnail.jp

Industry 4.0 in the context of passenger railway companies

A Indústria 4.0 tem sido um tema de pesquisa crescente e tem chamado a atenção de países desenvolvidos e emergentes que buscam uma posição de destaque neste novo cenário industrial. O setor ferroviário é um segmento relevante para o transporte de pessoas e mercadorias. No entanto, a literatura que une o tema Indústria 4.0 e ferrovias ainda precisa ser explorada. Na prática, há mais estudos partindo de uma determinada tecnologia em evidência. Assim, este trabalho levanta uma questão importante: como os conceitos da Indústria 4.0 podem ser aplicados às empresas ferroviárias de passageiros holisticamente? Utilizamos uma abordagem exploratória e qualitativa para analisar este importante setor, considerando a escassez de estudos com a visão abrangente pretendida. Entrevistamos especialistas de oito operadoras de transporte e de quatro fornecedores de tecnologia do segmento ferroviário brasileiro. Os resultados foram agrupados em um modelo de oportunidades e indicam que as empresas estão se movendo em direção a um centro de inteligência operacional para implementar oferta de trens robusta e eficiente, manutenção prescritiva, gerenciamento robusto da cadeia de suprimentos, melhor experiência dos passageiros e desempenho dos trabalhadores. Desenvolvemos e testamos um modelo de maturidade da Indústria 4.0 para operadoras ferroviárias de passageiros com base em nossas descobertas empíricas e nos principais indicadores de desempenho das empresas brasileiras. Recebemos retorno positivo de que o modelo retrata as preocupações diárias dos profissionais que trabalham para rodar o negócio e que os estágios de maturidade propostos representam um caminho para alavancar as métricas associadas aos objetivos produtivos definidos com ajuda dos indicadores de desempenho do setor. A contribuição prática da pesquisa é auxiliar as empresas ferroviárias de passageiros a planejar a jornada da Indústria 4.0 em seu segmento, tanto na concepção de novas linhas de trens quanto na busca por sistemas em operação mais sustentáveis. O estudo traz uma contribuição acadêmica significativa, pois os modelos com essa visão holística da Quarta Revolução Industrial no transporte ferroviário de passageiros são inéditos.Industry 4.0 has been a growing research topic and has drawn the attention of developed and emerging countries that seek a prominent position in this new industrial scenario. The railway sector is a relevant segment for transporting people and goods. However, the literature joining the theme of Industry 4.0 and railways still needs to be explored. In practice, there are more studies from a determined technology in evidence. Thus, this dissertation raises an important question: How can the Industry 4.0 concepts be applied to passenger railway companies holistically? We used an exploratory and qualitative approach to analyze this important sector, considering the scarcity of studies with the intended embracing vision. We interviewed experts from eight transport operators and four technology providers in the Brazilian railway segment. The results were grouped into an opportunities model, indicating that companies are moving towards an operational intelligence center to implement robust and efficient train offers, prescriptive maintenance, strong supply chain management, and improved passenger experience and worker performance. We developed and tested an Industry 4.0 maturity model for passenger railway companies based on our empirical findings and the Brazilian companies' main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). We received positive feedback that the model portrays the daily concerns of professionals who work to run the business and that the proposed maturity stages represent a way to leverage the metrics associated with the productive objectives defined with the help of the sector's KPIs. The practical contribution of the research is to help passenger railway companies plan the Industry 4.0 journey in their segment, both in designing new train lines and looking for more sustainable systems in operation. The study delivers a significant academic contribution as the frameworks with this holistic view of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the passenger railway are unprecedented

Responsible Design of Drones and Drone Services:Legal Perspective Synthetic Report

The term “drone” is the common language of all types of aircraft without a pilot on board and their ancillary components, such as a control station, if applicable. In addition to the common term “drone”, other terms and acronyms, among others, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Unmanned Aircraft (UA), Pilotless Aircraft and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) are also widely used in publications. In the past 5 years, drones have demonstrated significant growth in civil market as not only a leisure product but also a tool which can provide professional services. Professional uses of drones include, among others, agricultural services, surveillance, search and rescue, monitoring and inspection, parcel delivery and picturing and filming. Compared to conducting those services above by manpower, drones provide services in higher efficiency and accuracy, decrease the cost of actions, and expand the accessibility. The deployment of drones has impacts on individuals, the society and the environment. The potential threat to aviation safety as well as the safety of persons and properties on the ground is a central issue. In addition, given that drones are very often equipped with cameras and sensors, the potential violation to personal privacy and data protection by drone users is the major barrier that hinders the public acceptance of drone applications