Rail manufacturer Alstom and tech company Flox will test a new AI wildlife detection system on the Swedish railway network in an attempt to reduce collisions between trains and animals on the track.
The test programme received a grant of Skr3.3m ($321k) from the Swedish government’s innovation funding agency Vinnova and will see a series of field tests conducted on the network to validate the system in late 2024 and early 2025.
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Flox CEO Sara Nozkova said: “Our train-based Flox technology is based on advanced AI and in-depth understanding of animal behaviour, making it possible to protect both train traffic and wildlife.
“Together with Alstom, we can now validate the solution in a railway environment and make a real difference to both safety and nature.”
The technology uses both an AI detection solution to identify wildlife on and around railway tracks and a sound system designed to emit tailored sound signals to deter the wildlife away from oncoming trains.
Alstom and Flox’s AI project hopes to address a significant issue in Sweden, with the Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket, reporting around 5,000 animal collisions per year along the country’s railway lines.
Flox’s system is part of a growing number of rail solutions using AI to detect hazards on the track, with other countries also testing similar technology such as Network Rail’s use of CrossTech’s real-time AI track inspection software.
