KORAIL announced on December 4 that it has developed an autonomous inspection robot for railroad facilities using artificial intelligence and held a demonstration at its facility equipment office in Daejeon, South Korea.
The autonomous inspection robot is equipped with an LTE communication network, camera and lidar sensors, and moves autonomously along the track to a designated location. If it finds cracks or other obstacles that interfere with train travel, the system sends images and alarms to the operator in real time.
KORAIL plans to deploy them to check track conditions in advance in places where train operations are difficult due to typhoons, heavy rains, etc. or where access to workers is dangerous. The autonomous inspection robot is expected to prevent railroad accidents and improve work efficiency by enabling quick and safe inspections.
KORAIL plans to complete the trial operation of the autonomous inspection robot for railway facilities by the end of this year and commercialize it in the first half of next year.
"By introducing advanced technologies such as robots using artificial intelligence, we will scientize maintenance functions and strive for safe train operation," said Han Moon-hee, president of KORAIL.
