Hitachi Rail is at the forefront of Social Innovation, delivering urban development and mobility solutions that balance society’s needs with sustainability.
At the recent Hitachi Social Innovation Forum in Japan, we showcased our latest technology. This included talks which detailed how we are using the Metaverse for maintenance and using software to pioneer new standards for Japan’s iconic high speed bullet trains.
Metaverse: A New Frontier for Railway Maintenance
One of the exciting projects showcased at the forum was our Hitachi Rail Metaverse space, which demonstrated how rail maintenance sites can be transformed with Metaverse innovation.
The Metaverse is a virtual reality platform that allows users to interact with digital representations of real-world objects and environments.
Generative AI is an artificial intelligence capable of generating text, images, or other media by learning patterns from training data and creating new content with similar characteristics.
By combining generative AI and Hitachi Rail’s own inspection data, including images of components and procedures, we can create realistic and immersive simulations of rail equipment and facilities, such as trains, tracks, signals, stations, and wider infrastructure. This enables us to perform remote inspections, diagnostics, repairs, and training more efficiently and effectively.
SPACIA X: A New Generation of Passenger Trains
Another pioneering innovation is the new SPACIA X train for Tobu Limited Express, which connects Asakusa, Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen in Japan. The SPACIA X train started operation in July and has been designed to meet the changing values and travel needs of customers, such as safety, comfort, and sustainability.
The Spacia X train features a sleek exterior, spacious interior, and advanced functions such as Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and regenerative braking for improved energy efficiency. Our designers use the latest 3D design and digital technology to materialise concepts and achieve high-quality results.
Hitachi Social Innovation Forum: A Celebration of Technology and Collaboration
The Hitachi Social Innovation Forum was the largest scale event for collaboration and discussion hosted by the Hitachi group. The forum was held at the Tokyo Big Sight Conference Tower on September 21-22 and attracted over 4000 visitors.
The forum covered five main themes across Circular Economy; Decarbonisation/Carbon Neutrality; Industrial and Urban Digital Transformation (DX); Quality of Life/Well-being; Sustainability Management; and Innovation Creation.
The exhibition was launched by a keynote speech from the Hitachi group President CEO Keiji Kojima, titled ‘Hitachi’s Vision for the Future of Innovation.’ Over two days, teams across the business collaborated with customers and partners to share insights and ideas on how to solve social issues and create value for society.
Listen to the talks and find out more here.