In the railway industry, which faces labor shortages in addition to the deterioration of profits due to the effects of the new coronavirus, there is a growing movement to improve efficiency by incorporating the latest technology into the line inspection and maintenance work carried out by workers. I am.
Of these, Tokyu Corporation, a major private railway company in the Kanto region, introduced new technology for tunnel inspection.
A laser is shined on the wall of the tunnel from a dedicated vehicle to investigate cracks and signs of cracks in detail.
The vehicle is also equipped with a high-definition 8K camera, which means that if an abnormality is detected, the worker can judge the need for repair while looking at the image without going to the site.
Hideaki Shirata of the Tokyu Corporation Facility Maintenance Division said, "For normal inspections, about 10 workers were required every night. In order to continue safe service to users, we wiped out the stereotypes. I want to work on it. "
On the other hand, JR West has been using the latest vehicles equipped with robot arms for route maintenance work since this month.
It means that the parts of the overhead wire can be replaced automatically, and the number of personnel required for the work can be reduced by about 40%.
In the railway industry, in addition to the deterioration of profits due to the impact of the new corona, how to deal with labor shortages has become a common issue, and there is a growing movement to improve work efficiency by incorporating the latest technology. ..