Seeing Machines, EMD sign pact

Seeing Machines Ltd. said Monday, Sept. 22, 2014 it "has signed a strategic agreement with Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (EMD), a subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation, a Caterpillar Co., related to in-cab operator fatigue and distraction monitoring systems for use in locomotives."

The underlying Seeing Machines Driver Safety System (DSS) technology is based on patented eye-tracking and analytics that detects driver distraction and fatigue while on the job.

Following a previously announced agreement with Caterpillar Global Mining, this exclusive agreement, with an initial term of three years, will allow Canberra, Australia-based Seeing Machines and LaGrange, Ill.-based EMD to develop and adapt technology for the rail industry, Seeing Machines said.

“We are excited to be working with EMD,” said Seeing Machines CEO Ken Kroeger. “Our operator-facing cameras and accelerometer sensors provide key streams of data that are designed to help improve productivity and safety outcomes. I believe we are proving this in the challenging industrial applications of mining, and we expect to achieve the same positive results working with EMD in rail transport.”

Progress Rail and EMD President and CEO Billy Ainsworth said, “There have been significant steps in recent years to enhance safety in the rail industry, and today’s announcement builds upon those advancements. Working with Seeing Machines, we can develop the on-board technology designed to deliver enhanced safety to our customers and their fleets by ensuring operators remain alert while controlling the locomotive.”