It’s a project AERIAL-CORE from the University of Seville and already has interesting results
Maintenance work on high voltage lines entails significant risks for the technicians who have to carry them out. The height at which electrical infrastructure handling and possibility often have to be addressed suffer a shock These are the main risks these operators are forced to take. Fortunately, they now have something in their favor: the remarkable development that aerial robotics is experiencing.
In Spain, there is a research center associated with the University of Seville that has a wealth of experience in this discipline: Robotics, Vision and Control (GRVC). This team is led by Aníbal Ollero, Doctor of Engineering and Professor of Robotics at the University of Seville, specializing in the design and development of aerial robots and unmanned aerial vehicles. Currently, GRVC is working on more than 20 projects, and one of them is trying to increase the safety of technicians who provide electrical infrastructure.
The AERIAL-CORE project is already producing very promising results
Broadly speaking, the purpose of this initiative is to develop new technologies and aerial robotic systems with cognitive capabilities that will enable them to perform inspection and maintenance operations on hard-to-reach infrastructures. There is no doubt that wiring fits this premise like a glove, which is why this group of researchers developed it light robot which carries out the installation of scarecrows on power lines required by regulation to prevent birds from colliding with cables and the risk of electric shock.
The two arms allow the robot to install the spreader required by current regulations on the power line.
This ingenious robot weighs 3 kg and has two arms and a rolling base that give it great versatility. In fact, as you can see in the video that we publish below these lines, the rolling base allows it to be stable on the power line and move along it. In addition, two arms allow the installation of a spreader required by current regulations on the line. This strategy prevents maintenance technicians from performing this procedure completely manually and assuming the risks that this operation entails.
Their solution is to use a multi-rotor drone designed to “grab” it and properly undock it.
However, we should not overlook the strategy that GRVC engineers have chosen to place this robot on power lines. And its solution lies in resort to a multi-rotor drone designed to “catch” it and disconnect properly once the robot is placed on a high-voltage line at a height of about 10 meters. In the video, we can see with what precision both machines perform their task.
Once the two-armed robot has finished installing the scarecrow on the power line, the drone returns to rejoin it and place it on the ground without taking any damage. The time invested in placing the robot on the line is approximately 80 s and the time required to restore it after its function is finished is approximately 110 s, so the complete operation requires approximately 4 minutes (this time includes the installation of the scarecrows). There is no doubt that any efforts made to improve the safety of people working in this type of facility will be very worthwhile.
Image | Group on Robotics, Vision and Control (GRVC)
In Xataka | China already has the first “mass-produced” robot. Your mission is surprising: to work as a nurse
In Xataka | The US wanted to improve its spying capacity. It did just that with the deployment of its new (and advanced) ULTRA drones
*An earlier version of this article was published in August 2023
