Machines With Vision have announced that they have been awarded a contract with Network Rail for enhanced positional accuracy of an Ultrasonic Test Unit (UTU); and secured a seven-figure sum from Par Equity and Scottish Enterprise, to advance international expansion and further product development.

This new competitive contract and funding will enable Machines With Vision to invest further in their business and advance product development, enabling its expanding customer base to increasingly benefit from the company’s innovative technology solutions that deliver new levels of safety and automation.

Machines With Vision have been awarded a contract by Network Rail for an operational system trial on one of their Ultrasonic Testing Units (UTU), to demonstrate enhanced data positioning accuracy alongside the Fault Navigator app which guides track engineers precisely to UTU suspects. The project will demonstrate the step-change in positional accuracy sought by Network Rail and a positioning service that further improves service resilience and can support future recording system modernisation.

Recommended reading

• What’s Holding Back AI Innovation in the UK?
• UK Gov Opens New Regulatory Innovation Office for Emerging Tech
• Winners of FRIL’s ESG Innovation Challenge Announced

By applying their expertise from other sectors, such as computer vision, robotics and autonomous vehicles, Machines With Vision ​is seeking to ‘transform the railway infrastructure inspection and maintenance industry.’

Anthony Ashbrook, co-founder and CEO at Machines With Vision, commented: “Working on track is inherently hazardous and we are proud to be providing the tools to make this as safe as possible for the amazing people who go out on track every day, so we have a safe and reliable railway.

“As railways inevitably move towards increased automation for dangerous on-track work in the future, these same tools will provide the navigation and control that will be required.”