Indian Railways Now Uses An AI Robot To Check If A Train Needs Repair, And Reduce Human Error

The reason people are comfortable hurtling through the city of Mumbai in high-speed trains, is because they know they're checked regularly for any faults or failure possibilities.

Now, Central Railways is implementing a new automated process to reduce human error.

The railway has reportedly developed a new AI-powered robot that will regularly check trains in the state to gauge their need for repairs. It'll reportedly do this by capturing photos and videos of the vehicle's under-gears, and sending them to engineers.

The robot, called USTAAD (Undergear Surveillance Through Artificial Intelligence Assisted Droid), has been developed by the mechanical branch of Central Railway's Nagpur division. It'll examine parts of the train's coach in real time with an HD camera and transmit images taken over WiFi.

"The engineers can see these videos on a big screen as well as record them," Central Railway spokesperson Sunil Udasi said. "The camera of the robot can be rotated in any direction as per command given by the engineers. It can also zoom in on the spot in case of any doubt. It is equipped with an LED flood light and able to capture the videos in low light as well as in dark mode. By use of this robot the chances of mistake and any deficiency overlooked by human eye can be eliminated thus reducing chances of human error"

The idea is that the robot can move in cramped spaces underneath the train with ease, making it easier and more efficient for engineers to check on its health. In fact, authorities are considering using the USTAAD robot across other zones as well, once it's been tested further.