Inspenet, August 10, 2023.
Carrying out maintenance tasks on high-voltage power lines represents significant challenges for the technicians in charge of carrying out these tasks. Luckily, now they have a valuable ally: a robot.
The Robotics, Vision and Control Group (GRVC) is a research center affiliated with the University of Seville that has extensive experience in the area. This team is led by Aníbal Ollero, a doctor in engineering and professor of Robotics at the University of Seville with specialization in the conception and optimization of robots and unmanned aerial vehicles. Currently, the GRVC is involved in more than 20 projects and one of them has as its main objective to improve the safety of the technicians responsible for the electrical infrastructure .
One of them is the AERIAL-CORE project , whose purpose is to develop new technologies and aerial robotic systems that are equipped with analytical capabilities, which would enable them to undertake inspection and maintenance operations in infrastructures that present access difficulties.
That is why this team of researchers has created a robot of light construction that is in charge, through its arms, of implementing the bird deterrent devices required by the regulations on the power lines to prevent birds from colliding with the cables and being exposed to the possibility of suffering electric shocks.
The robot and the power lines
This ingenious creation weighs 3 kg and is characterized by having two arms and a platform with wheels, which gives it remarkable versatility. It also features a wheeled platform that allows it to be stably attached to the power line and move along it. In addition, thanks to the two arms, it is capable of implanting the deterrent device for birds required by current regulations on the line. This strategy prevents maintenance technicians from having to carry out this process manually, which implies facing the risks inherent to this task.
The GRVC’s strategy to place this robot on the power line is to use a multi-rotor drone designed to “capture” it and disconnect properly once the machine is positioned on the high voltage line, approximately 10 meters away. height.
Once the installation of the bird scaring device is complete, the drone reattaches itself to it and places it back on the ground without any damage. The time required to place the robot on the line is approximately 80 seconds and the interval required to recover it once it has completed its function is approximately 110 seconds, which means that the entire operation takes approximately 4 minutes (this includes time to install bird scaring devices). It is undeniable that all the effort dedicated to improving the safety of the people who work in this type of facility is worth it to a great extent.
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