Intelligent Aerial Drones for Railroad Track Traversability Assessment, Intrusion Detection and Integrity Evaluation

Aerial drones have been increasingly used in railroad operations as they offer an effective low-cost solution that can be easily deployed and efficiently support the human efforts in inspection and monitoring activities. This proposal outlines the development of an advanced system leveraging intelligent aerial drones for comprehensive railroad track monitoring and evaluation. The project serves as the integration phase (phase 3) of two University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) projects that in the previous two phases developed related technology: (i) a project on the development of Intelligent Aerial Drones for Traversability Assessment of Railroad Tracks, and (ii) a project on the development of AI-enabled system for Track Intrusion Detection and Track Integrity Evaluation. Through this integration, an intelligent aerial drone will be developed able to carry equipment for the autonomous inspection of railroad tracks with the following capabilities: (i) Visual-based identification and autonomous following of the track; the system will be able to work even in GPS-degraded environments (tunnels, dense forests); (ii) Collision avoidance capability where the drone senses and avoids obstacles; (iii) Track centering capability where the drone follows the same line regardless of the number of tracks in the field of view; (iv) Identification and mapping of any obstacles identified blocking the line; (v)Intrusion\Trespassing detection; and (vi) AI-based Detection, Classification, Tracking, and Situational Evaluation. This innovative solution promises to improve operational efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness in the management of railroad networks, while minimizing downtime and enhancing system reliability.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/research/operations/index.htm

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $97,161.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348340

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  University of South Carolina, Columbia

  502 Byrnes Building
  Columbia, SC  United States  29208
• Managing Organizations:

  University of South Carolina, Columbia

  502 Byrnes Building
  Columbia, SC  United States  29208
• Project Managers:

  Stearns, Amy

• Performing Organizations:

  University of South Carolina, Columbia

  502 Byrnes Building
  Columbia, SC  United States  29208
• Principal Investigators:

  Vitzilaios, Nikolaos

  Rizos, Dimitris

  Qian, Yu

• Start Date: 20250601
• Expected Completion Date: 20260831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Artificial intelligence; Drones; Inspection equipment; Intelligent transportation systems; Railroad safety; Railroad tracks
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Maintenance and Preservation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01960674
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University Transportation Center for Railway Safety
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348340
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 14 2025 7:12PM