Avangrid, an organization that is part of the Iberdrola Group, launched an innovative pilot project that uses artificial intelligence in a robot dog to inspect electrical substations. The experiment uses the mobile robot Spot which will perform visual and thermal evaluations at two United Illuminating (UI) facilities in Connecticut, USA.
This trial will be developed specifically at UI’s Singer and East Shore substations, evaluating various AI algorithms for analog meter reading, thermal imaging and faulty equipment identification. Avangrid is working closely with Levatas and Boston Dynamics on this project.
This is how Spot works: the robot dog for inspecting electrical substations
Equipped with advanced visualization tools, Spot incorporates a 30x optical zoom camera and an infrared camera for thermal analysis, allowing critical substation components to be inspected in great detail. In addition, it can be equipped with an acoustic sensor to detect and map sound anomalies, providing early detection of equipment failures.
Likewise, its central processing system strengthens its ability to navigate and communicate autonomously.
Spot inspects electrical substations with artificial intelligence. Source: Avangrid
The objective at the Singer substation is to evaluate the robot’s efficiency and accuracy in identifying and reading analog meters, while at East Shore it will focus on inspecting transformers, circuit breakers and capacitors. Although initially it will be managed by a local operator through a tablet, it is planned to enable remote control through specialized software.
It is important to note that this robot not only aims to increase the frequency of inspections at substations, but also to improve the understanding of equipment performance under various conditions, proactively identifying any anomalies or trends to avoid service outages. The implementation of the AI-capable Spot robot in Avangrid’s inspections aims to increase the reliability of the entire power grid and is presented as a valuable technological innovation.
The use of SPOT in Avangrid’s substations represents a major step towards the digitization and automation of critical infrastructure management. This pilot project stands out for its immediate application in the electrical sector and opens the door to future applications of similar robots in other industries. Extending this approach to other fields, such as urban infrastructure maintenance or industrial facility monitoring, could significantly improve operational efficiency and safety, demonstrating the potential of robotics and AI to solve complex real-world challenges.
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Source and photo: smartgridsinfo.es
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