An overview of the challenges for railway maintenance robots
Title: An overview of the challenges for railway maintenance robots
Authors: Miftahur Rahman (Cranfield University); Masoumeh Rahimi (Cranfield University); Andrew Starr (Cranfield University); Isidro Durazo Cardenas (Cranfield University); Amanda Hall (Network Rail); Robert Anderson (Network Rail);
Year: 2022
Citation: Rahman, M., Rahimi, M., Starr, A., Durazo Cardenas, I., Hall, A., Anderson, R., (2022). An overview of the challenges for railway maintenance robots. UKRAS22 Conference “Robotics for Unconstrained Environments” Proceedings, 84-85. doi: 10.31256/Bx2Wd2O
Abstract:
Abstract— The applications of modern technologies such as robots and AI are yet to be widely deployed in railways. A Railway Inspection and Repair System (RIRS) has been proposed using commercially available Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) and an industrial manipulator for railway track inspection and repair tasks. Using a specially designed trolley enables the on-track and off-track navigation capability of RIRS. The infrastructure in the railway is very diversified and unique in size, shape and remoteness compared to other industries, which creates some unique challenges for the RIRIS. This research investigates these unique challenges to the operation of RIRS imposed by the railway infrastructure.