Drone inspects railways and flies away if a train is approaching

Regular rail inspections are an important part of keeping roads safe. The problem is,

that they usually need to be carried out when nearbyno trains. However, the new Staaker BG-300 railway drone does not need to wait for the right moment -  he simply flies off the tracks as trains approach.

The drone from the Norwegian company Nordic Unmanned isA fuel cell powered multicopter with a set of four motorized rail wheels. Using them, he moves along the railway line at an average speed of 20 km/h.  The authors of the development note that it covers a distance of up to 200 km at a time.

In the process, Staaker checks paths withusing cameras and other sensors, and lubricates the turnouts, if necessary. If it detects any other rail traffic, it will autonomously take off from the rails until the traffic subsides. Also, the drone can fly from one railway track to another. As a result, railway sections do not need to be closed during inspections. Commercial operation of the Staaker is due to commence in Europe in the first half of 2022.

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