Partners
IKADO GmbH
The IT company IKADO was founded in 1989 and offers a portfolio of services in the areas of system integration, application development and consulting. In order to recognize market trends at an early stage and to transfer them into its own product portfolio, IKADO has been intensively involved in research and development activities since 2017, in which IKADO has often taken on the position of consortium leader, too.
Thanks to extensive digitalization projects in the field of rail vehicles, IKADO is an expert in the areas of environment recognition, obstacle detection, navigation, interface specification and development, real-time data processing and transmission was well as AI development.
IKADO within the SAMIRA project
Within the SAMIRA2.0 project, IKADO is responsible for consortium- and project management. This means that the administrative tasks include communication with the funding body, project management with all partners and keeping to the budget and the agreed objectives as well as the preparation of reports and other project documentation.
During project implementation, IKADO focuses to continue the entire further development of the demonstrator software from the predecessor project SAMIRA, as well as testing and validation of the new generated overall system. IKADO is also supporting the system-tests in real-life use both in the industrial shunting area and in the railroad's digital 5G test field in the Ore Mountains.
IKADO also works on revising the sensor concept based on the results of the previous project, develops safe, reliable and optimized software for data evaluation and signal transmission and finally adapts the software to the hardware platform which has been chosen to enable prototypical use in a real harsh environment.
In addition, IKADO is also responsible for developing the AI for object recognition in the last mile by the further development of existing AIs according to the special cases within the rail environment.
As part of its public relations work, IKADO creates and maintains the project website and organizes suitable project events and PR activities following the progress of the project.
Technische Universität Chemnitz
Die Technische Universität Chemnitz ist eine weltoffene Universität, die regional, national und international stark vernetzt ist. Sie ist das Zuhause von etwa 2.300 Beschäftigten in Wissenschaft und Verwaltung sowie von mehr als 8.600 Studierenden aus rund 90 Ländern. Sie ist damit die drittgrößte Hochschule in Sachsen. Das Projekt SAMIRA2.0 wird an der TU Chemnitz innerhalb des Vorhabens „Smart Rail Connectivity Campus“ (SRCC) bearbeitet. Im SRCC-Vorhaben soll am Standort Annaberg-Buchholz dauerhaft eine global sichtbare Forschungs- und Entwicklungseinrichtung etabliert werden, an der in Kooperation zwischen der TU Chemnitz, der Stadt Annaberg-Buchholz und vielen weiteren Netzwerkpartnern Forschungs-, Entwicklungs- und Innovationsarbeiten zur digitalisierten, vernetzten, automatisierten und nachhaltigen, d. h. ökonomisch, ökologisch und sozial effektiven und effizienten, Mobilität geleistet werden. Der SRCC ist an der TU Chemnitz aufgrund der Beteiligung von Professuren vieler Fakultäten am Zentrum für Wissens- und Technologietransfer als zentraler Einrichtung angesiedelt. Neben dem Zentrum für Wissens- und Technologietransfer ist die Professur Nachrichtentechnik der TU Chemnitz im Projekt SAMIRA 2.0 beteiligt.
TU Chemnitz within the SAMIRA project
Innerhalb des Vorhabens bearbeitet die TU Chemnitz Aufgaben im Themenbereich zuverlässiger Kommunikation, insbesondere der 5G-Kommunikation. Ziele des Teilvorhabens sind die Untersuchung der zu garantierenden Bandbreiten, die in dedizierten 5G-Netzen sowie während des Übergangs zwischen privatem und öffentlichen 5G-Netz verlässlich und ohne Signalverlust bereitgestellt werden können.
Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG (Associated partner)
With thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG in Duisburg, the largest steel manufacturer in Germany has been won as an associated partner for the next development phase of the SAMIRA project. With around 90 locomotives, tkSE is Europe's largest plant railway operator, too. A total rail network of around 420 kilometers stretches across the company premises. In addition, with a transport volume of 142 million kilometers per year, the company railroad is the second largest logistics provider of the country and provides 55,000 shunting movements every month (!).
Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG within the SAMIRA project
Thanks to the partnership with tkSE, it is possible to test and verify the components and systems at various stages during the SAMIRA2.0 development in a highly industrial, harsh environment in real operation even at an early phase of the project.
For this purpose, tkSE provides a shunting locomotive or a small train unit to which the corresponding sensors can be attached. tkSE also provides the train engineer and organizes the test runs within their ongoing operations. The sensor and system data recorded during the real-life test drives is later being used in the laboratory for the further development of the the algorithms and AI.
The large industrial buildings and the extensive track yards with track ladders up to 45 nearby tracks pose an enormous challenge for track-selective positioning and reliable environment and obstacle detection on using SAMIRA2.0.
In addition, tkSE is also an important and valuable contact for all questions relating to railroad technology, such as operational safety and health and safety at work, signaling technology, environmental requirements and general operational processes, regulations and guidelines.