# 196. Saving America’s Collapsing Infrastructure

- Show: [The Next Byte Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast)
- Published: 2024-10-15
- Length: 15m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-10-15-196-saving-americas-collapsing-infrastructure
- Listen: https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/196-saving-americas-collapsing-infrastructure-SZ6kzwdk

## Summary

Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss research from EPFL on using AI to detect cracks in America's aging infrastructure, specifically focusing on railroads and bridges. They explain how a new 'explainable AI' method reduces labeling effort by 90% compared to traditional pixel-by-pixel classification, allowing for continuous monitoring via instrumented rail cars or potentially buses. The hosts highlight the shift from subjective, costly manual inspections to a complementary model where automation flags issues for human experts to verify.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-10-15-196-saving-americas-collapsing-infrastructure#t=0) Introduction: Infrastructure Decay and Inspection Costs
- [1:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-10-15-196-saving-americas-collapsing-infrastructure#t=98) The Problem: Subjective Grading and High Costs
- [4:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-10-15-196-saving-americas-collapsing-infrastructure#t=259) EPFL's AI Solution: Binary Classification and Explainable AI
- [5:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-10-15-196-saving-americas-collapsing-infrastructure#t=349) Implementation: Instrumented Rail Cars and Continuous Monitoring
- [8:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-10-15-196-saving-americas-collapsing-infrastructure#t=518) Future Applications: Drones, Buses, and Complementary Automation

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- EPFL (company)
- Uber (company)
- Lyft (company)
- Google Maps (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 76: Robots on the railways - Andrew Starr](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2024-03-08-episode-76-robots-on-the-railways-andrew-starr) (Robot Talk)
- [How Computer Vision Ensures Grid Reliability | Noteworthy AI's Chris Ricciuti | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2025-01-14-how-computer-vision-ensures-grid-reliability-noteworthy-ais-chris-ricciuti-inter) (IoT For All Podcast)

## Citing this page

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