Airail – Live AI LEGO Train Cam

What Makes Airail Special

🎥

Live Dual-Camera Feed

Onboard wide-angle view + dedicated OCR camera reading signs in real time. Text overlays show speed, battery, temperature per carriage and more.

🗣️

Two-Way Voice AI

Speak to the train — it listens, understands, and replies aloud using local speech-to-text, small LLM reasoning, and natural TTS.

🌡️

Per-Carriage Temperature Monitoring

BME280 sensor in every carriage. Real-time alerts and stream overlays if any section gets too hot.

🚦

Motorized Route Switching

Servo-controlled points react to voice commands, OCR signs or AI decisions — true intelligent routing.

🔋

Auto-Docking & Solar Charging

Returns to station when battery is low. Solar-powered charging station keeps it running indefinitely.

📺

Public Streaming + Ads

Multi-angle views (onboard + static cameras). Sponsor trackside signs, overlays and voice mentions.

🛤️

Ceiling-Suspended Track Sections

Long straight runs and dramatic overhead views suspended from the ceiling for maximum layout space.

🧠

Real-Time Route Planning

AI calculates optimal paths using voice commands, sign reading, and layout map — no manual intervention needed.

💾

Quick-Recovery SD Card System

Multiple bootable microSD cards per Pi 5 — swap in seconds if anything goes wrong during testing or live runs.

📍

Onboard GPS Tracking

Real-time location overlay on stream using NEO-6M module — shows exactly where the train is in the layout.

🧱

Modular Carriage Design

Easy-access carriages for quick upgrades, maintenance, or adding new sensors/cameras in the future.

💬

Live Viewer Interaction

Community chat integration — viewers can ask questions or suggest commands that the train may respond to.

Parts & Build Components

The Airail project is built from carefully selected hardware. Below is the current full parts list (as of February 2026). Quantities include spares where useful.

Core Control

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W — 1×
Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB) — 2×

Motor & Drive

LEGO Powered Up Train Motor (88011) — 2× (front + rear)
Raspberry Pi Build HAT — 1×
Build HAT Power Supply (8 V) — 1×

Power System

Protected 18650 batteries (3000 mAh) — 8–10×
Slim 18650 holders — 2–4×
2S BMS 10–20 A — 2×
TP4056 charger modules — 6×
Buck converter (5 V 5–8 A) — 2×
Boost converter (7–9 V) — 1×
Decoupling capacitors — 10–20×

Temperature (per carriage)

BME280 I²C sensor module — 6×
TCA9548A I²C multiplexer — 1×
Thin jumper wires (long runs) — 2 packs

Sensors & Detection

TCS34725 RGB colour — 1×
KY-003 Hall — 6×
Reed switch — 4×
KY-018 photoresistor — 1×
HC-SR04 ultrasonic — 1×
KY-032 IR obstacle — 3×
MFRC522 RFID — 1×
MPU6050 accel/gyro — 1×
NEO-6M GPS + antenna — 1×

Speech AI & Onboard Cameras

ReSpeaker 2-Mics Pi HAT — 1×
MAX98357A amp + 3–5 W speaker — 1 set
Camera Module 3 Wide — 1×
Camera Module 3 Standard — 1×
CSI cables — 2× + spares

Cooling & AI Acceleration

Raspberry Pi Active Cooler — 2×
AI HAT+ (26 TOPS) + heatsink — 1×
Ventilated/open cases — 2× (optional)

Motorized Points

Micro servo (SG90/MG90S) — 4–8×
PCA9685 16-channel servo driver — 1×
Servo cables — 1 pack

Static Cameras & Command Centre

Static cameras (Wyze v3 / Tapo / Reolink) — 4–8×
Desktop/mini PC (Intel N100 or better) — 1×
Gigabit network switch — 1×
CAT6 cables — 2–4×

Layout & Construction

LEGO train track — total 50 metres
Heavy-duty shelf brackets (50–100 kg) — 50×
Perspex / acrylic shelves (30 cm × 100 cm) — 10–20× (as needed)
Suspended track risers + perspex panels — as needed
Track fastening screws (2 per piece) — ~800–1,200×
Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D printer — 1×
PLA / PETG filament (1 kg rolls) — 2×

Streaming, Domain & Backup

Hostinger VPS — 1× (~£6–10/mo)
Domain: airail.co.uk — 1×
MicroSD cards (64 GB A2 speed) — 6–8× (backups)

This list is living — updated as parts arrive and the build progresses.
Custom mounts, linkages, holders, and docking parts are 3D printed on the Bambu Lab A1 Mini.