Swiss railway SBB and ETH Zurich test teleoperated robots for Gotthard Base Tunnel maintenance
ChongZzZhang · x · 2026-11-05
A teleoperated "robot teleportation" system was featured on Swiss National TV: SBB and ETH Zurich are developing remotely controlled robots for maintaining the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
- The 57 km tunnel is the world's longest railway tunnel; heat, dust and dense traffic restrict maintenance to Saturday nights, and aging infrastructure raises demand
- The robot resembles a large quadruped with a giraffe-like neck (actually a manipulator arm) for operating switches, opening doors, and simple manual tasks
- Demonstrated at SBB's maintenance center in Biasca using replica junction boxes and metal doors
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