Hitachi Rail has captured the prestigious “ERCI Innovation Award 2024” for its breakthrough “Autonomous Tram AI Technologies,” clinching the title of “Best Large Enterprise.” This advanced technology is set to revolutionize urban transport by enhancing the safety, accuracy, and efficiency of tram operations without human drivers.

The innovative Autonomous Tram AI Technologies is poised to hit the market, promising exceptionally high safety standards. It utilizes a meticulously developed algorithm, honed through extensive testing, which allows for autonomous tram operations with minimal dependency on trackside equipment. This is ideal for the modern urban settings where trams operate.

This system is a blend of artificial intelligence with groundbreaking positioning and obstacle detection capabilities. The ERCI Award lauded the system’s pioneering next-generation autonomous positioning system (NGAP) and its obstacle detection and tracking system (ODT).

The NGAP, a novel innovation, ensures precise localization of the tram on its track to within one meter accuracy. It leverages sophisticated sensor fusion algorithms that utilize IMU, radar, and GNSS data. Complementing this, the ODT system employs a combination of radar, lidar, and camera sensors integrated with AI to accurately detect, classify, and track any obstacles, bolstering the trams’ operational safety. These autonomous functionalities are managed by Hitachi Rail’s railway-certified high-performance computers and are complemented by real-time 5G remote monitoring through the company’s cloud infrastructure.

Developed as part of the Hitachi Rail Global Innovation initiative, this autonomous tram system represents a convergence of core technologies from various global sites, including Europe and Canada. This initiative extends to all forms of rail transport, including main lines and metros.

The technology was crafted in collaboration with research teams from the University of Florence, University of Siena, and the Polytechnic of Milan, fostering a robust and pioneering solution that could fundamentally alter tram operations worldwide.

Carlo Piacenza, Head of Hitachi Rail GTS Italia, said: “We are proud to have won this important prize, which sees truly pioneering innovation from 18 different European railway clusters compete for one award. Our solution leverages AI to create a technology that can enable trams to operate autonomously with unparalleled levels of precision and safety. This solution will help us to continue to transform urban transport, delivering more seamless and sustainable journeys for passengers in cities around the world.”

Previously, this innovative solution also won the “10th DITECFER Railway Innovation Contest” in Italy, a prelude to its ERCI accolade. Each year, ERCI competition entrants are the victors of national contests across eighteen European railway clusters. The ERCI European Jury, comprising academic and industrial experts from various nations, awards the “Best Large Enterprise” as its top honor. This accolade was bestowed upon the Hitachi Rail team at InnoTrans, the prominent global railway conference hosted in Berlin.

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