UMONS proudly represented Belgium at InnoTrans 2024, showcasing cutting-edge advancements in AI-driven safety solutions alongside AWEX and WBI. This year’s event underscored UMONS’s commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to address critical safety challenges in industrial and railway environments. 🚄

A highlight of the presentation was InfraSecure, an innovative edge AI solution designed for securing railway construction sites. Developed through close collaboration with Infrabel and contributions from ILIA UMONS and ISIA LAB - UMONS, InfraSecure integrates embedded GPUs and 3D cameras to locally process complex data in real time. This technology ensures proactive risk management and efficient on-site safety monitoring. The project exemplifies how strategic partnerships between academia and industry can drive impactful technological advancements. 🛤️🔒

Researcher Mohamed Benkedadra, whose doctoral work focuses on using AI for mobility and safety, emphasized the power of embedded AI models in enabling swift decision-making on-site without relying on cloud processing. This approach enhances response times and maintains data privacy, essential for dynamic environments like construction sites. 👷‍♂️🤖 During the event, Mohamed had the opportunity to meet Benoît Gilson, the CEO of Infrabel, further reinforcing the collaboration and shared commitment to creating safer work environments through innovative technology. 🤝💬

Leading the UMONS delegation, Prof. Sidi-Ahmed Mahmoudi expressed gratitude for the support of AWEX and WBI, which facilitated the university’s participation at InnoTrans 2024. Besides InfraSecure, UMONS also introduced AI compression modules that optimize deep neural networks using techniques such as pruning, quantization, and knowledge distillation, aimed at improving the performance of AI on embedded devices. 💡🔧

The participation at InnoTrans 2024 provided a platform for UMONS to engage with global industry leaders, exchange knowledge, and forge potential collaborations. The university’s innovative contributions were met with keen interest from companies looking to enhance operational safety and efficiency through AI. This event underscored Belgium’s role as a leader in technological innovation, driven by academia-industry synergies. 🌍🤝