Rugged Railway Computers Transform Track Inspection with Augmented Railway Corridors

A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical asset, system or place that is kept up to date with real data from sensors, cameras and scans. Engineers use it to see the current condition of the real thing, spot changes over time, and test decisions on the model before acting on the asset itself.

An IMU (inertial measurement unit) is a sensor that measures acceleration and rotation, usually with accelerometers and gyroscopes on three axes, and often a magnetometer. From those readings a system can work out its orientation and movement. Combined with GNSS, an IMU keeps positioning accurate and continuous, even when satellite signals drop out.

GPS is one satellite navigation system, run by the United States. GNSS (global navigation satellite system) is the umbrella term for all of them, including GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou. A multi-constellation GNSS receiver sees more satellites at once, which improves accuracy and keeps a fix where the view of the sky is limited.

A hi-rail vehicle is a road vehicle, such as a pickup truck or van, fitted with retractable flanged guide wheels so it can drive on both roads and railway track. Railways use them for inspection and maintenance because crews can drive to an access point and go straight onto the line. In the UK they are usually called road-rail vehicles.

LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a sensor that measures distance by firing pulses of laser light and timing how long each one takes to bounce back. Repeating this many thousands of times a second builds a 3D point cloud of the surroundings, which machines use to see shapes, distances and movement in real time.

RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) GPS is a satellite positioning technique that uses correction data from a nearby base station or correction network to improve accuracy from a few metres to around one to two centimetres. It is used to guide autonomous tractors, drones, construction machines and survey equipment.