Long before Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw showcased the Kavach system by standing in a speeding loco while another one hurtled towards him in March, 
B Rajaram, the then-managing director of Konkan Railway, live-tested the Anti-Collision Device (ACD), by remaining in the path of a speeding train in 2002. 
The latter has said the ACD could have averted the Odisha tragedy. 

The networked ACD system called Raksha Kavach had been dedicated to the nation, in October 2001 by Nitish Kumar, the then-railway minister.
"ACD is non-signal equipment. In the Railways, station masters are provided with enough electronic protection against wrongdoings and unsafe things, but there is nothing much for drivers and guards. ACDs provide this protective layer and are additional lookout devices," Rajaram, who invented and patented the device, told mid-day.