Machines With Vision
Machines With Vision builds camera-based positioning systems for railway infrastructure operators, providing millimeter-accurate location data for inspection trains and guiding maintenance workers to track defects in GPS-denied environments. It serves national rail operators across the UK, US, France, Germany, and Switzerland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Machines With Vision does
Machines With Vision is a venture-backed rail technology company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Edinburgh, UK. The company develops camera-based positioning systems that give railway infrastructure operators millimeter-accurate location data where traditional GNSS-based positioning fails, including tunnels and other GPS-denied environments. Its core product, RailLoc, uses dynamic vision sensors mounted on inspection trains to capture and match visual fingerprints of track features at speeds up to 200km/hr, achieving 30mm positional accuracy validated by Network Rail and offering 100x better run-on-run repeatability than GNSS. The companion mobile app, Fault Navigator, uses a standard smartphone camera to guide track workers to defects identified by measurement trains even in GPS- and mobile-signal-denied areas.
The company's commercial model combines hardware sensor sales (RailLoc systems installed on inspection fleets) with subscription software (Fault Navigator licensing and a cloud-based positioning API). Pricing is quote-based for enterprise rail operators on multi-year contracts. Customers include major national railway operators (Network Rail, Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, SBB) and rail inspection service providers (Trealis, Loram), with active deployments across the UK, US, France, Germany, and Switzerland. The company partners with rail technology integrators including One Big Circle, Omnicom Balfour Beatty, DG8, Icomera, Sperry Rail, and Scotrail to embed positioning into broader inspection workflows.
Machines With Vision has raised £4.2 million+ in disclosed funding across a £2.6M seed round led by Par Equity in March 2022 and a £1.6M follow-on from Par Equity and Scottish Enterprise in December 2024. The company employs 1-10 staff and has won the National Rail Awards 'Safety Achievement of the Year' in 2023 for its Class 153 project with Network Rail, Porterbrook, DG8, and One Big Circle. A patent-pending surface-based localization technology using event cameras represents the company's next-generation R&D direction.
Machines With Vision firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Machines With Vision
- Legal name
- Machines With Vision Limited
- Website
- https://machineswithvision.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Machines With Vision builds camera-based positioning systems for railway infrastructure operators, providing millimeter-accurate location data for inspection trains and guiding maintenance workers to track defects in GPS-denied environments. It serves national rail operators across the UK, US, France, Germany, and Switzerland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Machines With Vision industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Railway Positioning and Inspection Technology
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Railroad Equipment (3743)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rail Asset Inspection, Monitoring & Diagnostics (Track Geometry, Wayside Sensors) (TLAJADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems (IMAHAHAE), Railcar & Wagon Tracking (GPS/RFID Wayside) (TLAEAMAH)
Keywords
Where Machines With Vision is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Machines With Vision business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- RailLoc Positioning System: Sale and deployment of camera-based positioning sensors and software for railway infrastructure monitoring. Sensors are installed on inspection trains and data is processed through cloud-based software API.
- Fault Navigator App: Mobile application for track workers to navigate to defects. Available through direct deployment to railway operators.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise licensing for rail infrastructure operators |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Hardware sensor systems |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Machines With Vision product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Machines With Vision sells a camera-based positioning system (RailLoc) that uses dynamic vision sensors and computer vision to deliver GPS-independent, real-time, centimeter-accurate location data for railway trains. The system is complemented by Fault Navigator, a mobile application that turns inspection data into actionable track-defect intelligence for track workers.
Product overview
Machines With Vision offers two core products: RailLoc, a camera-based railway positioning and monitoring system that captures visual track features to provide millimeter-accurate location data at speeds up to 200km/hr; and Fault Navigator, a companion mobile app that enables track workers to navigate directly to defects identified by measurement trains using their smartphone camera. The RailLoc system serves as the core platform, while Fault Navigator is a mobile extension that puts the positioning technology in the palm of track workers' hands. Both products work together to close the loop between defect detection and maintenance, enabling predictive railway maintenance through sensor data.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RailLoc: Camera-based rail positioning technology that positions measurement data to 30mm accuracy, installed on inspection trains and synchronizes with defect measurement systems to digitally paint defects onto tracks.
- Fault Navigator
Products and services
- RailLoc RailLoc is Machines With Vision's flagship camera-based positioning system. It uses dynamic vision sensors and computer vision to deliver real-time, centimeter-accurate location data for trains without relying on GPS, enabling continuous operation in tunnels and adverse weather. It is sold to railway infrastructure owners and operators such as Network Rail, Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, and SBB.
- Fault Navigator Fault Navigator is a mobile app for track workers and engineers that combines the RailLoc positioning data with on-site defect reporting, AI-assisted defect classification, and asset management workflows. It is designed for railway infrastructure maintenance teams that need to log, classify, and act on track defects in real time.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% reduction in on-track patrols by maintenance engineers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Machines With Vision
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Machines With Vision technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Machines With Vision partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Network RailflagshipStrategic partner for deployment of RailLoc technology on Class 153 inspection fleet. Network Rail approved Fault Navigator as leading method for track workers to locate UTU suspects. Multiple collaborative projects including switches and crossings safety initiative.
- PorterbrookcoreRolling stock company partner in Class 153 project for installing inspection sensors on in-service trains.
- One Big CirclecoreTechnology partner providing AIVR (Audio/Video Recording) systems integrated with RailLoc positioning on Class 153 fleet. Collaborative case study on Plain Line Pattern Recognition (PLPR).
- Omnicom Balfour BeattycoreJoint case study on Plain Line Pattern Recognition (PLPR) combining RailLoc with OmniVision Edge technology. Ongoing collaboration on inspection solutions.
- DG8corePartner in Class 153 project contributing sensor expertise to combined inspection solutions.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Machines With Vision competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Loram: Major provider of rail maintenance equipment and services, including inspection and grinding services for freight and passenger railways. Listed as a Machines With Vision customer; broader incumbent in rail maintenance that increasingly integrates inspection technology.
- Bentley Systems (AssetWise): Provider of infrastructure engineering software including rail asset management and inspection data platforms. Comparable as an incumbent software platform that rail operators already use and that could integrate or compete with Machines With Vision's positioning data layer.
- Hexagon (Leica Geosystems): Global leader in measurement, positioning, and geospatial solutions with rail and infrastructure inspection offerings. Comparable through its measurement and machine vision capabilities that could be applied to rail inspection workflows, representing an incumbent scale threat.
- Plasser & Theurer: World-leading manufacturer of track maintenance machines and inspection vehicles used by rail operators globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent in rail inspection and maintenance machinery — Machines With Vision's positioning sensors could integrate with or compete against Plasser's onboard positioning stacks.
- Trimble Railway Solutions: Global positioning and surveying technology provider with rail-specific GNSS, mapping, and asset management solutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing positioning infrastructure for rail and other infrastructure verticals — a credible long-term alternative to RailLoc.
Emerging players
- Icomera: Provider of connectivity and digital platforms for rail and public transport, integrating on-train systems with back-office software. Listed partner of Machines With Vision, with adjacent rather than overlapping offerings in on-board rail technology.
Direct peers
- Sperry Rail: Global provider of ultrasonic rail inspection services and equipment, including defect detection on track networks. Directly comparable as a rail inspection technology provider and listed Machines With Vision partner, with overlapping use cases in track defect identification.
- Omnicom Balfour Beatty: Provider of Plain Line Pattern Recognition (PLPR) and OmniVision Edge systems for automated visual track inspection. Direct competitor in computer-vision-based rail inspection and a co-development partner, making it a highly relevant peer both technologically and commercially.
- One Big Circle: UK-based rail technology company providing AIVR (Audio/Video Intelligent Recording) systems for intelligent video-based railway inspection. Directly comparable as an integrated Class 153 partner offering complementary computer-vision-based inspection, sometimes positioned alongside RailLoc and sometimes as an alternative inspection stack.
Regional players
- Trealis (formerly EurailScout): European rail measurement and inspection services provider offering track geometry, catenary, and video inspection. Listed as a Machines With Vision customer, operating mainly in Continental Europe with services overlapping Machines With Vision's positioning use cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Machines With Vision social profiles
Digital presenceMachines With Vision financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Machines With Vision leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Machines With Vision funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Machines With Vision M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Machines With Vision
What does Machines With Vision do?
Machines With Vision sells a camera-based positioning system (RailLoc) that uses dynamic vision sensors and computer vision to deliver GPS-independent, real-time, centimeter-accurate location data for railway trains. The system is complemented by Fault Navigator, a mobile application that turns inspection data into actionable track-defect intelligence for track workers.
Is Machines With Vision a public or private company?
Machines With Vision is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Machines With Vision founded?
Machines With Vision was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Machines With Vision based?
Machines With Vision is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Machines With Vision make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. RailLoc Positioning System is the primary driver. The others are fault Navigator App.
Who are Machines With Vision's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Loram, Bentley Systems (AssetWise), Hexagon (Leica Geosystems), Plasser & Theurer and Trimble Railway Solutions. Icomera is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Sperry Rail, Omnicom Balfour Beatty and One Big Circle. Trealis (formerly EurailScout) is listed as a regional player.
Does Machines With Vision have an API?
Yes. Machines With Vision offers a cloud-based software API that makes geolocation data from their IoT positioning sensors available to external systems. The API provides real-time access to sensor geolocation data recorded by measurement trains, enabling third-party systems to consume positioning data for various applications.
What industry is Machines With Vision in?
Machines With Vision's product category is Railway Positioning and Inspection Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAJADAG, Rail Asset Inspection, Monitoring & Diagnostics (Track Geometry, Wayside Sensors), with a secondary code of IMAHAHAE, Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems. Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3823.