As rail infrastructure across the United States ages under increasing freight demands and higher-speed passenger traffic, the need for smarter, faster, and more reliable inspection methods has never been more urgent. A cross-disciplinary team of Michigan State University (MSU) faculty, postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students are answering that call with a breakthrough hybrid sensing system that could redefine how railroads detect and prevent failures.
Sponsored by the Association of American Railroads (AAR)’s Grand Challenges in Railroad Technology Program, and developed through a multi-year collaboration between MSU researchers, MxV Rail, and Adrian & Blissfield Railroad (A&B), the new system employs a multi-modal, non-contact method to identify surface and subsurface rail defects in real time, even at speeds up to 60 mph. It represents a significant advancement in safety, efficiency, and innovation for an industry that is the backbone of the American economy.
“We’re not just imagining the future of rail inspection,” said Dr. Sunil Chakrapani, an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, one of the project’s key lead researchers. “We’re building it right here at MSU.”
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