Novosibirsk State University has signed a cooperative agreement with Novosibirsk Metro management to implement artificial intelligence technologies in the metro.
Arkady Chmykhailo, Head of the “Novosibirsk Metro”, said,
We believe that the Metro should be a leader in the technological development of the City’s infrastructure. Unfortunately, this is not the case, but we are working on modernizing our infrastructure. Specifically, we are preparing the transition to five car passenger trains and are considering the introduction of unmanned control of Metro trains in the future. Artificial intelligence will be in great demand.
Among other objectives is to improve safety at metro stations. One of the most dangerous parts of the Metro are escalators. Currently duty officers monitor the situation, but sometimes they are distracted and not able to respond to a situation in a timely manner. Metro management plans to equip escalators with intelligent systems that automatically stop movement if a passenger falls or another dangerous situation arises that could lead to injuries.
Another task is to integrate programs into the video surveillance system that can assess the number of passengers in different sections of the Metro. This will make it possible to optimize the operation of stations and trains during rush hours. Other possible uses for AI include monitoring tracks, abandoned items, and abnormal behavior of passengers at Metro stations.
The NSU Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAI NSU) has the necessary skills to solve these and other problems related to increasing the efficiency and convenience of public transport.
Mikhail Fedoruk, NSU Rector and Academician RAS, added,
It is very important for us that CAI developments are not only presented in scientific articles and presentations at various conferences, but that these specific technologies and software products are created in response to requests from our industrial partners. We are very happy that the Novosibirsk Metro has decided to join their ranks, we hope that this cooperation will be fruitful.
As representatives of the Metro noted, the prospects for implementing NSU CAI developments are not limited to Novosibirsk, their colleagues in other Russian cities are facing similar challenges.
