[Video] Inspecting the underbodies of rolling stock out of the pit? A robot developed by Altametris

[Page created in 2024 for translation of original content]

Regular maintenance of rolling stock is essential to ensure the performance and continuity of the network. This typically involves placing the train on a pit to inspect the undercarriage.

This is a delicate maintenance operation since access to a pit track represents a significant constraint.

It is not feasible to simply slide under the train to conduct an inspection.

Given the limited availability of pits in technical centers, our client asked us to develop a robot capable of inspecting the undercarriage of trains directly on the tracks.

This mission was undertaken by Altametris Services, our division dedicated to developing bespoke services and tools.

Underframe Inspection Robot: A Flexible Tool Adaptable to New Needs

After defining our client’s expectations and the business objectives they need to meet, we established a detailed specification sheet and a development plan.

Our workshop in Plaine Saint-Denis sourced the necessary components and we assembled the robot.

Several months of testing and experimentation were necessary to ensure that the system provided to our client would meet their technical expectations and comply with essential industrial standards.

In early March 2021, we delivered a fully operational, robust, and safe underframe inspection robot to our client at the Villeneuve-Saint-Georges technicenter.

According to Quentin Lemesle, a project manager specializing in prototype development at Altametris: "The robot meets industrial expectations and needs, but it remains flexible. It should be seen as a platform on which functions can be added or removed. The cameras and sensors, the presence of a nacelle to elevate the camera, or even the type of tires can be fully customized. Moreover, we can also consider adapting the device to support functions we have not yet imagined.

Real-Time Underframe Imaging

The robot can be deployed in under 5 minutes and easily navigates ballast and track ties.

It features a motorized rolling chassis and a color camera (1280 x 720p resolution) for real-time visual information transmission.

The integrated nacelle allows the camera to rotate 180° horizontally and 90° vertically. An LED spotlight ensures precise illumination of underframe elements, guaranteeing optimal image capture regardless of external lighting conditions.

Weighing only 4 kilograms and equipped with a front handle, the robot is easily portable and ergonomically designed for ease of handling.

Controlled via a remote, the image feed is transmitted over WIFI to the agent's service tablet or smartphone.

The system includes two batteries, providing 2 to 4 hours of autonomy, allowing for extensive inspection under multiple full trainsets.

Save on Budgets by Optimizing Maneuver Times 

According to our client, Damien Gublin from ADUO Locomotives Mobitrain, "by enabling inspection directly on the track in case of suspected damage or after an impact, the robot allows field agents to gain flexibility and autonomy."

Using the robot industrially allows for checking the trainsets as soon as they are taken in at the technicenter, and potentially, in the future, right at the end of service at the station.

This flexibility enables significant savings at the Villeneuve Saint-Georges technicenter, which could be easily multiplied through national and industrial deployment of this technology.  Indeed, it is ten times more expensive to mobilize a trainset for an inspection in a maintenance pit than to use a robot and a single agent to do the same job.  

Therefore, the constraining task of maneuvering into a pit is reserved only for cases where the trainset actually shows an issue detected by the robot. Reduced delays, optimized times, safer operations, and high-quality data obtained through an agile and efficient tool: this embodies the essence of Altametris' mission.

This robot heralds a new era for rolling stock maintenance: optimizing costly maneuver operations to redirect budgets towards high-value maintenance actions is also an ambition of Altametris. 

Would you like a demonstration of the underframe inspection robot ?