ROBINSPECTION PROJECT - Automated monitoring of switches and crossings

The aim of the inspections is to record the current working condition of the inspected components and, depending on this condition and the defined limit values of the components, initiate either maintenance or repair measures.

Significant larger and more consistent amounts of data are required for predictive maintenance than can be achieved with the current manual methods. For this, it is also important to find the same verification steps and verification algorithms to obtain a high level of comparability for all figures.

This can only be achieved through automated procedures with robots or other regulatory processes, with the objective of replacing manual inspections with more frequent, automated, and standardised inspections. This could enable not only availability, reliability, and safety but also the repeatability and consistency of Big Data required and may involve artificial intelligence.

The UIC ROBINSPECTION project (Robotic based inspections) started in 2022 to address the automation of inspection for switches and crossings (S&C). Several IMs, such as, Adif, IP, ÖBB, RFI and SBB, have participated to provide knowledge and produce a document that compiles the state of the art and insightful rules to develop automated inspections in the railway networks ensuring safety and reliability. The Grupo de Investigación en Ingeniería Ferroviaria (Railway Engineering Research Group, GIIF) of the Universidad Politècnica de València has supported the draft of this final report by collecting the knowledge provided by the most advanced firms using the automated technology for S&C inspection.