Are autonomous trains the future of travel?
A conversation with Futurail’s founder Patrick Dendorfer, the winner of the Merantix/Forbes AI Pitch Competition at START Summit 2024.
Welcome to a special edition of 'AI Reality Bites, where we break down advancements in AI and discuss what they mean in practice. Today I’m joined by my Merantix colleague Janette Wiget, who just returned from the annual START Summit in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Janette was on the jury for the AI Pitch Competition organized by Merantix, Forbes, and START.
Janette and the other judges heard pitches from 12 very promising early-stage AI ventures during the competition. They were battling for some great prizes, including a spot on the shortlist for the upcoming Forbes AI list and a free week of co-working and an event co-hosting slot at our Merantix AI Campus in Berlin.
One presentation stood out for the judges: the winner was Futurail, which is developing an autonomous stack for self-driving trains. The company is working to remedy the train driver shortage, reduce costs, and increase reliability and flexibility for future train travel.
After the competition, Janette sat down with Futurail’s Co-Founder and CTO Dr. Patrick Dendorfer for a quick Q&A. Before founding the company last year, Patrick received his PhD from the Technical University of Munich, where he researched human trajectory predictions based on deep learning methods.
Janette: Congratulations on winning the competition! How does Futurail utilize AI to make a better future for travelers and rail operators?
Patrick: Futurail leverages AI to build autonomous train technology focusing on computer vision and deep learning for obstacle detection. Our product facilitates more frequent operations and reduces transportation costs for travelers and rail operators.
I would imagine there are some fears among current human train drivers about the threat of automation to their jobs and livelihoods. How do you address those concerns?
Acknowledging the industry's concern on automation, we view it as an opportunity to enhance working conditions for the existing drivers to focus on more complex aspects of their roles, i.e., high speed trains. Moreover, the increasing gap between available and required train drivers underscores the urgency for innovative solutions.
In 10 years time, what do you think train travel looks like and how will Futurail be involved?
We envision a future where rail travel is more accessible and sustainable with autonomous and eco-friendly trains connecting remote areas with frequent and reliable service. Futurail will supply the software ensuring the safety and efficiency of autonomous train operations.
How do you think winning this AI Pitch competition will help your startup?
Winning this competition amplifies our message about the significance of technological advancement in improving rail transportation. We hope this awareness attracts investments, catalyzes political will, and increases the prominence with the tech market.
Thank you for the interview, and we can’t wait to see where this will grow further!
If you want to get in touch with Patrick, best to reach out to him on Linkedin directly, or keep an eye on upcoming events on the Merantix AI Campus, where he will hopefully soon be speaking, too.
More impactful AI startups from the DACH region will be featured in the upcoming AI30 list by Forbes and Merantix. Be sure to follow us on Linkedin to be informed once applications are open!