Implementation of Robotics in Transmission Line Monitoring

The power system in our country is very complex and so monitoring of transmission lines is a difficult task for a human to perform. Managing overhead transmission assets such as towers, conductors and insulators are very costly and sometimes prove to be dangerous. Many lines are located in remote and rugged environments. Usually the workers who inspect these lines conduct helicopter surveys or must climb the tower to check them in close proximity. As inspection of transmission lines at remote areas are very difficult, a robot can act as an alternative to a human technician. The robotic monitoring system proposed by us promises to reduce cost, reduce requirement of man-power, enhance safety while improving reliability. This robot provides real-time monitoring of imminent physical threats or damages to the transmission lines and also furnishes the transmission line operators with operating parameters in order to optimize transmission line operation. The robot gathers the data of these transmission lines using various sensors. This data collected by the robot can be sent to the control room by using the transceiver provided in the robot. The communication between the robot and control room takes place wirelessly using existing infrastructures utilizing RF technology or any other communication protocols. Keywords—Transmission line, Robotic Inspection, Power system, RF Communication , Manipulation.