Robotics and autonomous systems for rolling stock maintenance

Robotics and autonomous systems technology have been applied in a number of sectors to replace or assist humans in activities that fall under the “4Ds”: Dangerous, Difficult, Dirty and Dull. These technologies present a number of challenges to the rail industry particularly with regards to reliability, policy and ethics, but they also have the potential to help the industry increase capacity by reducing maintenance time and improve safety by enhancing the reliability of rolling stock inspections. So, how can it be applied to rolling stock maintenance?