Projects/2024
Etihad Rail × NYUAD AI & Robotics Collaboration
NYU Abu Dhabi · CAIR with Etihad Rail
Challenge, contribution, and outcome
CHALLENGE
Evaluate how AI and robotics research could address inspection needs in an operating rail depot.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Connected CAIR research with Etihad Rail through stakeholder engagement, laboratory visits, and hands-on Spot inspection trials at the depot.
OUTCOME
A publicly announced collaboration and depot trials that collected multimodal locomotive data for inspection and predictive-maintenance research.
Project overview
This NYUAD–Etihad Rail collaboration explored the use of AI and robotics in rail operations. I combined stakeholder engagement and laboratory visits with hands-on operation of Boston Dynamics Spot at the depot, collecting multimodal locomotive data for inspection research. The trials provided a practical basis for exploring predictive-maintenance applications.
System Record
Development & Validation
- Connected research capabilities with the practical requirements of depot inspection through laboratory visits and field trials.
- Operated Spot around locomotives in an active depot to collect multimodal inspection data.
- Trials covered locomotive visual inspection and locomotion testing on the rail infrastructure, including ballast and track walking at the depot.
- Combined technical demonstrations, stakeholder engagement, and hands-on fieldwork within the Etihad Rail–CAIR collaboration.
- Collected data for further analysis, with predictive maintenance as a research application to develop and validate.
Credits & Collaborators
Nikolaos Giakoumidis
NYU Abu Dhabi · CAIR
Commercial Lead
Nikolaos Evangeliou
NYU Abu Dhabi · CAIR
Research Scientist
Etihad Rail
Industry partner
Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR)
NYU Abu Dhabi
Research partner
Publications & media
Additional Media
LOCOMOTION — ON THE DEPOT RAILS — NYU Abu Dhabi · CAIR with Etihad Rail
Boston Dynamics Spot standing on the rails in front of the Etihad Rail depot during locomotion testing
INSPECTION — LOCOMOTIVE SIDE — NYU Abu Dhabi · CAIR with Etihad Rail
Boston Dynamics Spot beside an Etihad Rail passenger locomotive inside the maintenance shed during visual inspection
LOCOMOTION — BALLAST BY WAGON — NYU Abu Dhabi · CAIR with Etihad Rail
Boston Dynamics Spot on the ballast beside an Etihad Rail freight wagon during locomotion testing
ETIHAD RAIL × NYUAD — PUBLIC COLLAB — NYU Abu Dhabi · CAIR with Etihad Rail
Public collaboration imagery for the Etihad Rail × NYUAD AI and robotics partnership
Related Work
Outreach
Industry engagement recorded alongside this project.