New Railway Drone Can Both Fly and Drive

Nordic Unmanned has unveiled the Staaker BG-300 Railway Robot, an innovative solution that has the ability to operate both in the air and on the railway. A welcome innovation, since maintenance in the railway industry is usually conducted at night, or when there is no planned traffic, meaning there is a lack of consistent data that maps out the current state of the railway.

The robot is equipped with advanced cameras and sensors, enabling it to inspect critical parts of the railway infrastructure while moving along the track. Should the Railway Robot encounter oncoming traffic, it can avoid dangerous situations by flying to the side of the track, allowing traffic to pass. The sensors on board the robot automatically detect changes on the railway, while providing a live data feed to decision-makers.

The drone can operate on the railway for around seven hours with an average speed of 20 km/h. The robot can cover up to 200 km, which is the equivalent of the distance between Amsterdam and Brussels. Furthermore, it can switch from one railway track to another, give way to oncoming traffic, and switch to alternative tracks. The Railway Robot will significantly streamline and improve maintenance work on the railways, without disturbing regular traffic.

The Staaker BG-300 Railway Drone is the latest addition to the Staaker family of products and has been specifically developed in cooperation with a large European national railway infrastructure owner.