The transportation and mobility industries are on the cusp of a major revolution. Applications such as autonomous vehicles, dynamic, demand-led real-time traffic management using ‘vehicle to anything’ (V2X) technology and high-resolution video/CCTV linked to AI systems to improve compliance, safety and convenience via smart transportation infrastructure have all been spoken about for many years. Initially these were in the realm of science fiction, then discussed as conceptual ‘art of the possible’ technology topics, and now, finally, as realistic aspirations to be implemented in the near future.

Over the past few years, the rail sector has made huge strides forward. Digitalization is transforming operations and delivering a new standard of accountability and trust. Big Data generated through the deployment of sensors and delivered via mobile connectivity are opening new opportunities in safety, maintenance, and cargo owner services.

Dan MacGregor, Nexxiot Co-Founder explores these opportunities and explains how the newly released Vector sensor, used to monitor brakes, hatches, and doors on railcars, is a game changer for the industry.

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed the way we live, work, and travel. The transportation sector has seen some of the most significant changes, with IoT and AI playing a crucial role in mobility. From self-driving cars to real-time traffic monitoring, IoT and AI technologies are revolutionizing transportation in ways we could never have imagined. IoT and AI technologies are converging to create a smart mobility ecosystem that will shape the future of transportation. 

As one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced massive infrastructural development over the last few decades. This development has been most evident in its road network, which has undergone a significant expansion, resulting in over 25,000km of roads in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi alone. The quality of these roads is also exceptional, with Abu Dhabi’s road network ranking number one worldwide when it comes to road condition. Despite this impressive development, there are still challenges that the UAE faces when it comes to road maintenance.

Transmission Dynamics are a UK based, multi-award winning, global innovator and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions provider, specialising in remote condition monitoring of high value assets. They have designed and deployed a range of proprietary technologies over the last two decades and these are now being utilised to monitor rail infrastructure using train borne sensor technology throughout the global rail industry. 

BLS Cargo, a Swiss-based rail freight provider specialising in trans-alpine transports, has a presence in Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Belgium. They quickly took notice of this challenge. BLS Cargo is keen to stay on top of technology, and pushing their reliability forward is one of their trademarks. To work on the efficiency of key information transmission between drivers, BLS Cargo deployed a digital logbook and a digital corrective event notification based on Railnova software. However, it became clear that a translation feature was necessary for added effectiveness.  

Yumain introduces an intelligent device that processes and analyses the state of the pantograph in real time and sends an alert when a fault is detected. This embedded AI sets a new standard for predictive maintenance and guarantees the end of catenary tearing incidents.

The Attensys Train Informer utilizes advanced sensors installed in the seats of trains plus video analytics that can detect whether or not a seat is occupied – and with what. These cutting-edge sensors, the latest in seat occupancy detection, are able to tell a person from an object and transmit data to a central system that can provide real-time information to passengers and train operators about the available seats on the train. With this technology, passengers can easily identify the comfortable spot to sit during their journey.

This innovative work ensures that the operating system executed on the gateway will always behave as expected whatever incoming packets are received on the network link. Thanks to this architecture the cybersecurity gateway is acting as a firewall and thus isolating the CLEARSY Safety Platform (vital-computer) from external threat.