News Raspberry Pi Pico Robot Detects Cracks in Railway Tracks

[Admin]

SVSEmbedded has created a Pico-powered robot that runs along railway tracks in search of cracks before sending an SMS notification with the GPS location of the detected crack.

Raspberry Pi Pico Robot Detects Cracks in Railway Tracks : Read more

 

[digitalgriffin]

Not a bad little robot and quite clever how it sends SMS GPS coordinates.

However it has limitations using IR. Cracks are usually found using XRay scanners. We'll also have to see was it's resolution is over various types of track (ie: Rusty track) and gap sizes. At 88fps (60MPH) will it detect a depth change of 1"? (That's 1/88 of a second)

I think US FRA standards are < .25" gap. So that's a sampling rate > 352Hz.

 

[FunSurfer]

To the inventor:
If your sensor can detect small cracks successfully you need to patent it quickly, lose the robot just install the sensor directly on the trains. Two sensors needed, one on each side of the train above the rail so trains can constantly monitor the railway, detect small cracks when they form and send their location.

 

[passivecool]

you need to patent it quickly

Amazing that the companies who spend billions every year maintaining railway tracks never figured out they could solve all their problems with a quaint school project robot.

 

[digitalgriffin]

To the inventor:
If your sensor can detect small cracks successfully you need to patent it quickly, lose the robot just install the sensor directly on the trains. Two sensors needed, one on each side of the train above the rail so trains can constantly monitor the railway, detect small cracks when they form and send their location.

The real problem here is resolution. This detects only a specific defect-gaps. While this is a more critical defect, cracked rail is almost as dangerous. It can break and separate quite easily. You need xrays for this. This is why they have sperry rail cars.

https://sova.si.edu/record/NMAH.AC.0497

Smithsonian link.