First-of-its-kind solution that performs automatic track defects detection from vibration signals

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 APRIL 2023: Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (“Asia Mobiliti”), a leading mobility-as-a-service and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider, has successfully completed a live testbed programme for railway condition monitoring with Malaysia’s largest railway operator, KTM Berhad (“KTMB”).

Known as IOrail, the system involves the use of drive-by sensing technologies with custom- designed IoT devices installed onboard trains. The data collected by these devices is fed into Asia Mobiliti’s Internet of Things (IoT) cloud platform that is powered by machine learning algorithms, which processes vibration signals and performs defect prediction in real-time.

This allows railway operators to monitor physical railway tracks via a virtual model and provide real-time condition parameters and defect detection capabilities so that the operators can uncover these faults and address them before actual accidents occur. The live testbed is the first-of-its- kind in Malaysia and the complete solution was developed in-house by Asia Mobiliti.

According to an industry survey (1) conducted by Asia Mobiliti and urban transit consultancy ASAP Mobility, half of railway operators in Asia are without conditioning monitoring systems and of those that do, 54% carry out monitoring using manual inspection methods. Furthermore, four in five operators indicated a willingness to upgrade to better digital systems while almost two-thirds want higher detection accuracy and faster reporting turnaround times.

Asia Mobiliti’s IoT and system engineers in front of a train equipped with IOrail.

IOrail’s proactive monitoring capability is a boon for railway operators as current railway condition monitoring systems require infrastructure to be installed along the railway tracks or wayside. With IOrail’s deployment only requiring installation on rolling stocks and using open 4G connectivity, operators are relieved of heavy capital expenditure. This makes it far more cost effective and scalable for railway operators across the developing world, where railway networks are critical for movement of passengers and goods.

The testbed programme saw IOrail deployed on KTMB trains traversing the Skypark Link and selected Komuter routes. Total data collected – more than 400GB of data spanning more than 135,000km of track distance travelled over an eleven-month period, yielded a 100% detection rate of manually observed defects with two times the number of anomalies detected compared to manual inspections.

Ramachandran Muniandy
Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder of Asia Mobiliti

“We are excited to have developed a system on our IoT and machine learning platform that digitizes railway track monitoring and predicts defects in real-time,” said Ramachandran Muniandy, Asia Mobiliti Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder. “Having proven its capability for Malaysia’s largest railway company, we now look towards a full deployment and expansion into other markets in the region.

“IOrail enables the creation of a digital twin of the railway tracks and enables us to move away from preventive and towards predictive maintenance. Such solutions are typically associated with large and costly systems from multinational vendors, but we have shown that we have the expertise and capabilities to do so in a cost-effective manner.”

Ir. Dr. Karl Ng
Vice President of Digital Health & Digital Cities, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

Commenting on this development, Ir. Dr Karl Ng, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Vice President of Digital Health & Digital Cities said, “Asia Mobiliti’s solutions are well aligned to one of the nine Malaysia Digital’s (MD) promoted sectors as well as the National Data Sharing Policy (NDSP). 

“MDEC will assist local businesses to promote innovative adoption of data driven technology in digital cities. Hence, we are proud of acknowledging the good work of local solutions while promoting digital adoption agenda in cities.”

IOrail is available immediately for suitable commercial partners to bring to market across Southeast Asia.

(1) Respondents comprised railway operators and rail asset owners in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Asia Mobiliti PR & Communications
[email protected]
Published On: April 3rd, 2023|Categories: Press Release|

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First-of-its-kind solution that performs automatic track defects detection from vibration signals

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 APRIL 2023: Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (“Asia Mobiliti”), a leading mobility-as-a-service and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider, has successfully completed a live testbed programme for railway condition monitoring with Malaysia’s largest railway operator, KTM Berhad (“KTMB”).

Known as IOrail, the system involves the use of drive-by sensing technologies with custom- designed IoT devices installed onboard trains. The data collected by these devices is fed into Asia Mobiliti’s Internet of Things (IoT) cloud platform that is powered by machine learning algorithms, which processes vibration signals and performs defect prediction in real-time.

This allows railway operators to monitor physical railway tracks via a virtual model and provide real-time condition parameters and defect detection capabilities so that the operators can uncover these faults and address them before actual accidents occur. The live testbed is the first-of-its- kind in Malaysia and the complete solution was developed in-house by Asia Mobiliti.

According to an industry survey (1) conducted by Asia Mobiliti and urban transit consultancy ASAP Mobility, half of railway operators in Asia are without conditioning monitoring systems and of those that do, 54% carry out monitoring using manual inspection methods. Furthermore, four in five operators indicated a willingness to upgrade to better digital systems while almost two-thirds want higher detection accuracy and faster reporting turnaround times.

Asia Mobiliti’s IoT and system engineers in front of a train equipped with IOrail.

IOrail’s proactive monitoring capability is a boon for railway operators as current railway condition monitoring systems require infrastructure to be installed along the railway tracks or wayside. With IOrail’s deployment only requiring installation on rolling stocks and using open 4G connectivity, operators are relieved of heavy capital expenditure. This makes it far more cost effective and scalable for railway operators across the developing world, where railway networks are critical for movement of passengers and goods.

The testbed programme saw IOrail deployed on KTMB trains traversing the Skypark Link and selected Komuter routes. Total data collected – more than 400GB of data spanning more than 135,000km of track distance travelled over an eleven-month period, yielded a 100% detection rate of manually observed defects with two times the number of anomalies detected compared to manual inspections.

Ramachandran Muniandy
Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder of Asia Mobiliti

“We are excited to have developed a system on our IoT and machine learning platform that digitizes railway track monitoring and predicts defects in real-time,” said Ramachandran Muniandy, Asia Mobiliti Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder. “Having proven its capability for Malaysia’s largest railway company, we now look towards a full deployment and expansion into other markets in the region.

“IOrail enables the creation of a digital twin of the railway tracks and enables us to move away from preventive and towards predictive maintenance. Such solutions are typically associated with large and costly systems from multinational vendors, but we have shown that we have the expertise and capabilities to do so in a cost-effective manner.”

Ir. Dr. Karl Ng
Vice President of Digital Health & Digital Cities, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

Commenting on this development, Ir. Dr Karl Ng, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Vice President of Digital Health & Digital Cities said, “Asia Mobiliti’s solutions are well aligned to one of the nine Malaysia Digital’s (MD) promoted sectors as well as the National Data Sharing Policy (NDSP). 

“MDEC will assist local businesses to promote innovative adoption of data driven technology in digital cities. Hence, we are proud of acknowledging the good work of local solutions while promoting digital adoption agenda in cities.”

IOrail is available immediately for suitable commercial partners to bring to market across Southeast Asia.

(1) Respondents comprised railway operators and rail asset owners in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Asia Mobiliti PR & Communications
[email protected]
Published On: April 3rd, 2023|Categories: Press Release|

Share This Story!



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