Dream Weavers: Behind Wabtec’s Worldwide Innovation Machine

Wabtec’s Advanced Technology Group seeds the future of rail 

An ‘idea factory’ for rail

Sure, Google has Google X, and Boeing its Phantom Works. But where are the most audacious new ideas in rail incubated, hatched, and nurtured? Look no further than Wabtec’s Advanced Technology Group (ATG), a stealth group of AI, automation, design, electrical, mechanical, cyber, and cloud engineering savants whose early-stage technology successes are matched only by their curiosity, high spirits, and selfless dedication to advancing the industry, the success of Wabtec’s customers, and the company they call home.

Riding a new wave

Wabtec’s ATG team began with an observation back in 2019 that energized its founding members. A wave of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation technologies had begun to swell, and the team wanted to position Wabtec and the rail industry to ride that wave rather than have it crash over them.

“The focus in this area accelerated with our Freight 2030 initiative in 2021,” recalls Philip Moslener, Corporate Vice President – Advanced Technologies. “The initiative’s vision was to foster a public-private partnership focused on decarbonizing the rail industry with the combination of improvements in freight rail utilization and developments in advanced locomotive technology. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation technologies are integral in advancing current on-board and wayside systems as well as increasing capacity in our rail systems through network efficiency solutions.”

But finding time to experiment with emerging technologies isn’t always on the itinerary of large companies with quarterly numbers to hit, processes to follow, products to get out the door, and customers to serve. Yet simply spreading the responsibility of “figuring out AI” – and a growing list of other enticing technologies – across the engineering ranks of Wabtec didn’t seem like the best approach to tapping its transformative potential, so the team got more intentional and made an educated bet.

“We had a good sense that the AI and machine-learning revolution would require special, dedicated attention to unlock its true value for rail,” remembers Milan Karunaratne, Vice President – AI and Digital Advanced Technologies. “So, we thought about it, put on our entrepreneurial hat, and pitched our CTO as if we were the founders of a startup seeking seed funding.”

The idea worked. The pitch? “Invest in the team’s ability to bring advanced technologies to rail, and, in return, we’ll strive for a 10x payback.” 
The team did just that, with initial wins in rapidly developed internal tools and technologies that have led to larger, more complex and disruptive commercial projects and ideas.

The ATG gradually grew from the wins in AI to cover other emerging technology fields such as automation, product cybersecurity, high resiliency/high availability cloud engineering, and decarbonization through alternative fuels such as hydrogen. Focusing these technology disciplines under the ATG’s umbrella established a think tank for innovation, information sharing, and rapid prototyping that accelerated the development of new solutions for the business.

The methodology of ATG

The matter of scale is important to ATG and Wabtec, because there is no shortage of exciting technology to explore and an entire rail/transport industry’s worth of problems to solve. In order to avoid wasting time “boiling the ocean” or chasing every shiny new thing, Wabtec’s ATG  has a very clear mission and methodology for turning “what’s next?” into successful products for internal productivity and commercialization for customer success.

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“The ultimate mission of the Advanced Technology Group at Wabtec is to de-risk innovation investments that deliver breakthrough solutions at scale,” explains Moslener. “That is not an easy job, in fact it is one full of challenge, but that’s what sparks the imagination of our collective team. It is also a key reason why our role as dreamers and innovators is rooted in a rigorous process.”

To better understand that process, it helps to look at two kinds of ideas ATG explores, what the team refers to as “pull” and “push” solutions: ones that emanate either from a customer request (pull) or that Wabtec identifies on its own and anticipates could make a big difference on the industry (push). In the first instance, the ATG team relies on Wabtec sales, services, and customer care personnel, who are in regular conversation with customers, to bring them intel on what new capabilities/technologies clients are asking for. The ATG team then assesses those ideas (more on that in a minute).

While it’s logical to tune in to what customers are specifically requesting, the Advanced Technology Group also takes a “push” approach to new technology. It constantly scours both the rail industry and the broader technology field for challenging problems with transformative potential if solved. ATG’s goal is to take the best ones and push them forward into rail, i.e., work on ideas before customers ask for them.

Regardless of how these new technology ideas are sourced, they all get vetted in a very grounded, practical way. ATG analyzes the potential impact of the technology on Wabtec’s business by asking three questions:

1. How big is the problem this technology could solve?
2. How much of the problem could Wabtec potentially solve with this solution?
3. How scalable is the solution across Wabtec’s businesses and the industry?

These three questions help ATG gauge whether it has a $1M, $10M, or $100M opportunity on its hands, and prioritize development accordingly. To date, ideas that start with a direct customer request have the shorter development timeline (on average about two years), while ATG’s more future-forward efforts may have a gestation period of three-to-five-plus years.

Next stop InnoTrans

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Examples of both were on display at InnoTrans 2024, where the ATG team made its event debut, previewing six separate wells of technology inspiration.

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“While it’s fun to point to newly commercialized products, such as Wabtec’s computer vision passenger detection system VaporVision™, that result from ATG’s handiwork, it’s important to remember that the mission of this team is to de-risk the application of advanced technologies for eventual commercial use,” reminds Karunaratne. “ATG is literally Wabtec’s living laboratory for technology experimentation and innovation.

“We’re about discovering the alchemy among different technologies and our industry, shepherding that along in partnership with one of Wabtec’s P&Ls, and then handing off what we started to the P&L for commercialization. Folks that visited our installation within Wabtec Station at InnoTrans this year got a great taste for how we work and the amazing products that that work can spawn.”

Following are six technology concepts ATG displayed at InnoTrans:

1. Perception technology: The intersection of AI and various sensing technologies using cameras, LIDAR, and radar is a particularly fertile area for new product development with impacts across the industry. It is leading to advanced safety detection solutions in trains and buses, and is featured in a new Maintenance of Way prototype for improved productivity in rail-yard operations (a next-generation Spiker!), just to name a couple use cases.
    
2. RailGhost: ATG is also exploring the application of automation technology in rail. RailGhost rethinks and re-engineers a path to navigating rail yards. It introduces a platform for robotic and inspection capabilities that are seamlessly integrated, unlocking new levels of safety, efficiency, and insights heretofore not possible.
   
   What sets RailGhost apart is its unique low-profile design that enables automated movement throughout rail yards. It can travel on top of rails, go underneath railcars, and navigate through switches and grade crossings, providing unmatched mobility and comprehensive access to all areas of the yard.
    
3. OneBot: This technology draws on the latest innovations in generative AI and large language models (LLM) and applies them to the customer-care function with the goal of enabling customers to use smart bots to troubleshoot problems, resulting in quicker, less expensive outcomes. Given the technical and safety-related nature of rail systems, OneBot meets strict security controls with answers that are tested and curated by Wabtec’s expert engineers.
   
   OneBot users will feel as if they have their own personal Wabtec expert at their fingertips. A person can ask a question in simple, natural language and obtain a specific technical answer about complex products or machines, greatly improving the overall customer-service experience.
    
4. Teleoperations: Why should drone operators have all the fun? The use cases for “remote control” of locomotives is boundless, and ATG showcased its early thinking in this exciting field. Teleoperations represents the future of human-centered train automation – the safe, logical next step for enhancing rail efficiency and service quality. By tightly integrating advanced remote command capabilities with transformative automation like Trip Optimizer and Positive Train Control (PTC), teleoperations optimize personnel utilization while unlocking new levels of safe, reliable operations not possible through manual methods alone. Teleoperations is an investment in the modern rail workforce and a catalyst for improved profitability through simultaneous cost savings and new revenue opportunities.
    
5. Electro-mechanical Brake: For Wabtec, every component of transit and freight rail is fair game for innovation. Wabtec is developing an innovative Electro-mechanical Brake (EMB) system for trains. Unlike current systems that use compressed air or oil, EMB does not rely on fluids. The transition to EMB systems is a complex process that requires a holistic approach to train design. While individual EMB components may be more complex and costly than their pneumatic counterparts, the overall benefits come from system-wide changes. Wabtec’s solution goes beyond individual components to offer a comprehensive, safety-focused system – a great example of innovative thinking from within Wabtec’s business units.
    
6. Advanced Vehicle Program: Wabtec and ATG have a bold vision for autonomous trains, including the development of future locomotives for shorter routes and more frequent, just-in-time payloads. It’s time for truck-like service on rail, providing operators greater agility, flexibility, and visibility. And ATG is on the frontlines of creating the enabling technologies for this new generation of locomotives.