During WWI, a daredevil pilot helped invent the first'drones' Lawrence Sperry's autopilot proved planes could fly themselves. Lawrence Sperry was a pioneer, a showman, and inventor. Without him, flying today would look very different. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. On November 21, 1916, pilot and inventor Lawrence Sperry was flying over Long Island's Great South Bay with his student Dorothy Rice Pierce when his plane suddenly plunged into the water .

Elmer is now in use on Sperry's entire North American non-stop track monitoring fleet, including ATS rail-road vehicles. Sperry Rail has been active in non-destructive testing for rail faults for more than 90 years. In a drive to deliver greater efficiency in track monitoring, the supplier has developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning applications that it is now installing in regular service. As demand for track access grows, infrastructure managers from around the world face a daily battle to keep their railways operational during limited maintenance intervals. Predictive and preventative rather than interval-based maintenance is the Holy Grail for infrastructure managers.