Vienna, August 4, 2025
As part of the successfully completed TopDrone research project, the automated use of drones to increase operational efficiency in the railway sector was investigated – an active contribution to Europe’s digital transformation. The drone positions itself autonomously and monitors the entire shunting route as well as its surroundings. The central technology behind this innovation: Artificial Intelligence.
Digitization and automation are increasingly shaping all areas of mobility – including rail freight. In order to strengthen its role as a sustainable and energy-efficient mode of transport, the railway industry is striving not only for greater economic efficiency, but also for safer and more efficient operations.
Particularly in shunting operations, which are often associated with challenging and potentially hazardous tasks, there is substantial potential for innovation. TopDrone addressed these requirements by using AI-enabled drones to support and automate the shunting process without additional manual effort.
The use of drones in shunting operations is demanding, as many technical, operational, and legal challenges need to be overcome. The drone’s precise AI-controlled navigation must account for obstacles, visual signals, wagon spacing, varying lighting conditions, and changing weather. The feasibility of such operations was demonstrated in TopDrone. Based on these findings, key components for real-world deployment were developed.
Mission Embedded contributed its expertise in the following areas:
Within the project, it was demonstrated how drones can autonomously monitor the shunting route. The drone uses GPS for navigation, independently detects the locomotive to be monitored, and positions itself precisely above the train´s front to assist the coupling process in real time.
The live video stream is transmitted via two LTE connections to a cloud‑based control center and directly into the locomotive cab. A key element in this context is the use of Mission Embedded’s smart monitoring solution overVIEW. This platform allows the train driver to initiate the shunting process directly from the locomotive and view the same video stream as the drone.
A fully automated drone mission was successfully implemented under realistic conditions. AI-based video analysis enabled:
The focus was on developing and testing solutions for automatic obstacle detection. Drones are meant to reliably detect obstacles such as brake shoes, people, unsecured loads or other hazards in real time. In addition, AI supports safety monitoring of shunting operations.
A guiding principle from the outset was to increase safety, improve efficiency, and specifically reduce the workload of shunting personnel.
The TopDrone project convincingly demonstrated how state‑of‑the‑art technologies and Artificial Intelligence can transform work processes in rail freight. The intelligent use of drones not only increases safety and efficiency but also makes a significant contribution to the ecological transformation of rail freight transport, for example by reducing fuel consumption through fewer empty runs and misroutings.
TopDrone exemplifies the opportunities opened up by the combination of digitalization, automation, and AI. The research project raises safety and efficiency to a new level – through automated shunting operations that not only significantly enhance occupational safety but also effectively address the shortage of skilled workers in a highly complex, high-risk environment.
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Turnstile. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Vimeo. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Instagram. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Google Maps. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information