Machines With Vision is targeting the global rail maintenance sector after securing a multi-million, multi-year contract with Network Rail.<\/p>\n
The Edinburgh-based business has developed technology that uses cameras fitted to the underside of inspection trains to build an accurate, image-based geospatial map of any railway network, enabling higher levels of safety, efficiency and automation for railway infrastructure inspection and maintenance.<\/p>\n
\u201cRail networks are complicated and dangerous environments,\u201d said Machines With Vision co-founder and chief executive Anthony Ashbrook. \u201cEnsuring that track workers get to the right place first time minimises the risk of a missed defect, keeping trains running safely and efficiently while making maintenance work itself safer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Machines With Vision maps the track visually and navigates crews directly to faults with millimetre accuracy via its RailLoc system and Fault Navigator mobile app.<\/p>\n
The latest contract win follows a pilot carried out with Network Rail over a two-year period.<\/p>\n
Mark Chestney, infrastructure monitoring programme manager at Network Rail, said: \u201cFor every suspect, it would previously take on average an hour once you got on site to find it, now we\u2019re talking five minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have thousands of suspects every year, so that\u2019s thousands of hours saved and thousands of hours of reduced exposure to slips, trips, and falls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Machines With Vision is expanding its work with other national railway infrastructure operators across Europe, North America and Australasia, and has embarked on an external investment round to support this international growth.<\/p>\n
Ashbrook said: \u201cWe\u2019re excited about our international expansion plans and expect to announce related contract wins in due course, as we accelerate our internationalisation with investors who share our vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashbrook previously pioneered Mobile Visual Search, now used in apps including Amazon Shopping and Google Lens, while the company’s chief technology officer Jon Owen played a key role in digitally mapping the UK rail network and developed the sector\u2019s first visual inspection system. Chief commercial officer Justin Stroud is the former European managing director of Sperry Rail, while head of operations Russel Licence spent almost two decades in senior roles at Network Rail.<\/p>\n
Ashbrook added: \u201cWe have built a team that combines high-level technology and rail sector experience, and this combination positions us to become a key player as the market continues to evolve towards increasing automation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany think of rail as an historic industry, when in truth it is set to become even more integral to economies, societies, and global sustainability going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The multi-million, multi-year contract with Network Rail will see specialised cameras fitted to the underside of inspection trains<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278857,"featured_media":8084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50204,47996],"coauthors":[137126],"class_list":["post-8083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","category-transport","tag-edinburgh-lothians","tag-featured-story"],"yoast_head":"\n