126 Business View - August 2015
Wi-Tronix
Using advanced technologies to keep the railroads safe
Every once in awhile, we turn on the news and are
informed that another disaster has occurred some-
where, involving an airplane, a railroad train, or a
cruise ship. These devastating accidents are often ac-
companied by a tragic loss of life in addition to the de-
struction of the particular means of transportation, or
“mobile asset,” owned by the airline, railway, or ship-
ping company.
Usually, after detailing the damage caused by an er-
rant jet, a runaway train, or a cruise liner that has
strayed from its course, the news reporter will often
end the story with a somber remark suggesting that
the cause of the accident is currently unknown, but
under investigation. Was the plane experiencing me-
chanical trouble? Was the train going too fast? Was
the captain in control of his vessel? We don’t know
and, normally, it takes some time to figure these things
out.
But what if there was a way to monitor and identify
critical pieces of information, not after, but while they
were occurring? Would real-time knowledge of system
breakdown or operator failure help prevent bad acci-
LOGISTICS
