The Smart Helmet is an advantage to digitalizing quality checks in the railway infrastructure

Our colleague and Product Manager Rob van de Grift recently gave an interview to Dutch railway related media outlet SpoorPro about the Smart Helmet. The efficient communications possibilities of this helmet, being able to work hands-free, reduce the chances of failure costs, and making digital recordings are what makes this Smart Helmet a valuable addition to quality checks. Furthermore, it reduces unnecessary travel expenses and helps deploy relevant knowledge for the railway infrastructure.

The Smart Helmet not only simplifies the sharing and recording of information of railway related projects, it also makes it smarter, more practical, and cost efficient. The helmet has an integrated camera, a built-in GPS, and can operate on command, lead by voice-control. Because of these features, the user now has his or her hands free, so that any activities can be executed in a more focused manner.

Besides the fact that this Smart Helmet makes working in the railway infrastructure easier, it is also a cost-effective work tool. Quality assessments inside the tracks can often be unnecessary expensive. However, because of the camera in the helmet and the integrated communication tools, including Zoom, the experts can now join in on these assessments from a distance and give additional instructions. Our Product Manager Rob van de Grift: 

With this helmet, you can film the work field and have a live connection with the controle room in the office.

“Normally, you and perhaps three or four other people would travel to a factory. That is quite expensive, considering the fact that you can make the work load a lot more efficient by having one person with the Smart Helmet out in the field, while the others can watch live from their laptop,” Rob continues. The Smart Helmet can be used for Factory Approval Tests (FAT) or Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), which are currently very expensive at external locations. Mainly because of high expenses in travelling and accommodation. Van de Grift:

The Smart Helmet really saves a lot of travel expenses. That is part of what makes this such an appealing tool to use.

The Smart Helmet can also be used to view and save  technical and regulatory documents, including work instructions, such as drawings, photos, bill of materials, and regulations. The technology of the helmet can also contribute to certification on location as well as reduce the number of human error measuring mistakes. The images registered by the Smart Helmet can be saved directly and can be transferred through a live connection to any computer. 

You basically give the helmet a command, for example by saying that the camera needs to take a picture

explains Van de Grift. “Then, you can request any previously created files from the navigation package in order to share and discuss them with the person in the control room. If desired, the one wearing the helmet can also zoom in on the work field. You can also easily scroll through any files while wearing the helmet, by simply moving your head from left to right.” This is how you can draw any conclusions with an integrated team from one central source. 

The Smart Helmet may sound a bit too much like a very cool gadget. However, with all its perks and built-in technical possibilities, this Smart Helmet will definitely be put to use more often and in more places in order to offer the railroad workers more expertise and convenience. Especially now that we learn to embrace technical innovations in the railway infrastructure. 

Would you like to know more about this Smart Helmet? Feel free to contact our Product Manager Rob van de Grift.