VCÖ/APA-Fotoservice/Ben Leitner
The AI-powered assistance system “Trailer Assist,” developed by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Künz GmbH, has won the VCÖ Mobility Award Austria 2026 in the category “Digitalization, Technology, and Automation.” The solution makes the transfer of semi-trailers to rail more efficient, safer, and more reliable, thereby supporting shift of freight from road to rail. At the same time, remote operation creates more accessible workplaces.
A major success for the researchers at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and their colleagues at Künz GmbH: The jointly developed AI-powered assistance system “Trailer Assist” is the winner in the “Digitalization, Technology, and Automation” category at the VCÖ Mobility Award Austria 2026. The awards ceremony took place on September 17, 2026, in Vienna.
At the heart of the project lies a key challenge for climate-friendly freight transport: shifting more freight from road to rail. This requires safe, precise, and efficient operations at intermodal terminals. This is exactly where Trailer Assist comes in.
What began in 2022 as a joint research project between AIT and Künz is now a field-proven solution for intermodal crane terminals. The system assists crane operators in handling semi-trailers, reduces errors, and improves safety, precision, and process quality. In doing so, it strengthens a critical interface in combined transport and improves the conditions for shifting additional freight to rail.
Higher Handling Capacity for More Rail Transport
The impact is clearly evident in productivity: Under real-world operating conditions, productivity has already increased by 18 percent.
Higher handling capacity not only makes terminal processes more cost-effective but also increases capacity at the interface between road and rail. This is precisely where a key lever lies for shifting to rail, a more climate-friendly mode of transport.
AI Supports – People Remain at the Center
Trailer Assist does not replace crane operators but provides them with targeted support: Using artificial intelligence, sensor fusion, and intelligent image processing, the system detects relevant objects and their positions in real time, thereby enabling more precise path planning. Especially in conditions of limited visibility and adverse weather, the continuous analysis of the surroundings helps detect obstacles early and reduces handling errors. This enhances operational safety and stabilizes process quality. “Trailer Assist demonstrates how, together with our industry partners, we translate artificial intelligence into real-world industrial applications. For us, technological innovation must deliver measurable impact: more efficient and safer processes as well as better working conditions. This combination of scientific expertise, industrial implementation, and societal benefit is precisely what distinguishes AIT as a research and technology organization,” explains Univ.-Prof. Andreas Kugi, Scientific Director of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. Mag. Monika Riedl-Riedenstein, project leader at AIT, adds: “Working conditions were also taken into account from the very beginning: Moving the crane control system from the elevated crane cab to a remote control station close to the ground creates a safer, more ergonomic, and more accessible workplace and reduces physical barriers to access.”
From Research Project to Real-World Operation
Trailer Assist is already in operational use on three cranes in Poland. Two additional terminals are being equipped with the technology; implementations are also under discussion for ÖBB terminals in Wolfurt, Vienna, and Wels. Crucial to a successful deployment in real-world operations is not only technical performance but also acceptance by the crane operators. That is why Trailer Assist was tailored to their workflows and needs and is accepted as a reliable support tool in operational use.
It is precisely this combination of technical robustness, practicality, and user acceptance that is essential for scaling the solution to additional locations. “This award validates our approach of using AI specifically to support crane operators. With Trailer Assist, we’re enhancing safety, increasing handling capacity, and improving the efficiency of processes in rail freight transport,” said Dr. Hannes Eberharter, Head of R&D at Künz GmbH.
Award for Climate-Friendly Mobility
The VCÖ Mobility Award is Austria’s largest competition for climate-friendly mobility and sustainable freight transport. It honors projects and solutions that contribute to an environmentally sustainable, economically efficient, and socially just transportation system.
With Trailer Assist, the VCÖ recognizes a solution that combines climate-friendly rail freight transport with digitalization, greater efficiency, enhanced safety, more accessible workplaces, and real-world industrial deployment.