Deutsche Bahn wants to combat graffiti sprayers with Spot the robot dog
According to Deutsche Bahn, Spot, the robot dog, is supposed to track down graffiti sprayers and report them to security staff in order to prevent costly damage.
Robot dog Spot checks parked S-Bahn Munich train carriages. In practical use, mainly in the dark.
(Image: Deutsche Bahn AG / Thomas Kiewning)
Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Munich S-Bahn will be relying on the robot dog Spot from robotics company Boston Dynamics to deter spray-painting on trains. Spot will support DB security staff and initially patrol between parked trains at night, as announced by DB on Friday. The pilot project is initially limited to four weeks.
The plan is for Spot the robot dog to autonomously patrol between parked DB and S-Bahn Munich trains at night. Its task is to detect and track down graffiti sprayers who spray the carriages without permission. Spot's artificial intelligence (AI) has been trained with around 1,200 images so that the robot dog can recognize sprayers, Deutsche Bahn announced. If it detects a graffiti sprayer, it sends an alarm to DB Security staff. They can then verify via livestream whether Spot is correct and take appropriate countermeasures.
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The Munich S-Bahn has a hard time dealing with graffiti on trains. Around 13,000 square meters are sprayed illegally every year. Removing it costs time and money. The Munich S-Bahn had to spend around one million euros on this in 2023 alone. In addition, the trains are no longer available for rail operations as they have to be cleaned first. According to S-Bahn Munich, cleanliness is one of its core values and illegal graffiti has no place on the carriages.
Moderate costs
Compared to these high costs, the investment in the operation of Spot seems like small change. The four-week test phase is said to cost a "mid five-figure sum". This could pay off if Spot can actually track down graffiti sprayers in the pilot project and is then used on a permanent basis. This could potentially not only prevent graffiti on railroads, but also have a general deterrent effect against vandalism.
However, the use of the Spot robot dog is not entirely new at Deutsche Bahn. A trial phase began in September 2023, during which Spot was tasked with checking wheelset shafts in the Mainz-Bischofsheim maintenance facility and detecting loose brake hoses and leaks, for example.
(olb)
