NEW DELHI: In a first as part of enhancing safety in train operations, the Indian Railway (IR) is getting a unique Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven device called the “Railway Driver Assistance System” (RDAS).
The device will check the blinking eyes of on-duty loco pilots and alert them or automatically activate the linked Vigilance Control Device (VCD) to apply emergency- break to stop the trains.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is working on this device with a team of experts after being asked by the Ministry of Railway.
It will help the loco pilots of both passengers’ mail, express and the freight trains to overshoot the signal or turn even a bit lax on the operating safety points on duty.
Confirming this chief spokesperson of NG Railway Sabyasachi De on Sunday spoke to The New Indian Express that the NFR has been given the agenda to develop it by the railway board and works are in progress on it.
He said the work on it is being done with all departments coherently. According to the official communication of the Railway Board, the need to develop this kind of AI-driven device has been felt to improve the alertness monitoring of crew while train operation.
Railway sources here further added that the device RDAS being developed will not only alert the drivers or crew of the trains on duty but also activate the VCD another device to apply emergency brakes in case a driver loses his ‘alertness’ or feels drowsiness for a certain period of time on running train.
“The device is in the developmental stage. Its trials are on to ensure its proper functioning. The technical team of the NFR is working on it. It is likely to be fully developed and tested in next few weeks,” a senior railway official in know of this system claimed.
The railway is seriously concerned on it and again on August 2, the Railway Board had directed the NFR to speed up the in-house development of RDAS.
The railway has decided in principle to install this device in the cabins of at least 20 freight trains’ locomotives (WAG9) and passenger train engines (WAP7) as a pilot project. After its success son a pilot basis, the devices would be installed in more trains’ locomotives.