Korean Institute Develops AI-Driven Drone System for Railway Inspection
The Korea Railroad Research Institute has announced the development of an innovative unmanned system for railway facility inspections, anticipated to enhance safety and efficiency.
Alex Carter
- 2023-12-28
- Updated 05:12 AM ET
(NewsNibs) - The system, spearheaded by the institute's Han Seok-yoon, incorporates drones equipped with artificial intelligence to perform automated inspections on railway infrastructures, including areas difficult to access manually. Traditional inspection methods, which often require visual assessment by inspectors, are now augmented by this advanced technological solution. In 2022, the system underwent a stringent evaluation process, and after one year of intense technical and quality verification, the Public Procurement Service recognized it as an Excellent Product.
Advanced Certification and Market Readiness
Having been registered in the Public Procurement Service's comprehensive shopping mall, the system is now available for priority purchasing by public organizations. This also opens the possibility for non-competitive government contracts. Certification as an excellent product has not only enhanced its domestic credibility but also fortified its competitive edge in international markets. The complete inspection system includes a drone specifically designed for railway facility inspections, a ground-based mobile control unit, and sophisticated damage detection software capable of identifying damages such as cracks with high accuracy.
Technological Achievements and Future Applications
The drone operates autonomously and can navigate with precision even in GPS-denied areas, maintaining an accuracy within 0.7 meters over a maximum distance of 1 kilometer. Its damage detection software analyzes images captured by the drone's twin cameras, identifying various forms of infrastructure damage with an efficacy rate exceeding 85%. The system additionally automates the classification of recorded images with over 90% accuracy, can pinpoint damage locations to within 10 centimeters, and generates an inspection network map for exterior railway facilities. The benefits of replacing manual inspections are multifold, including the prevention of safety incidents, reduced maintenance times and costs, and the facilitation of systematic bridge safety management through big data utilization.
Collaborative Development and Strategic Expansion
In January, the technology triumphed over 40 test items such as automatic flight path and damage detection, securing the K-Mark certification from the Korea Testing and Research Institute. The system is a result of a national research and development project initiated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in 2019, with participation from various industrial and academic partners. The Korea Railroad Research Institute's ICT Urban Transit Research Director, Yoon Hyuk-jin, declared their commitment to providing technical support for the smooth integration of the system into railway operations, concentrating on further enhancements and international collaborations. Han Seok-yoon, the institute’s president, conveyed the intention to expedite the digital transformation of railway infrastructure maintenance and the advancement of K-rail technology on a global scale.
