Electrical Transmission Lines Robot Inspector: Design Challenges

Abstract

High voltage electrical transmission lines (ETL) require maintenance and examination which are both time-consuming and dangerous, as it has been carried out by workers using traditional means. That is why the invention and evolution of the field of robotics in inspection transmission lines have emerged as a novel, more convenient, also safer process of executing difficult works. This article foreshadows the growth and development of the power line transmission robot over the years from the prototype design of a robot capable to bypass obstacles on ETL until a recent year, where the developed robot can multitask, such as cleaning, avoiding obstacles, crossing the junctions of the tower, move through the cable. Not only that the robot can climb itself to inspect the electrical transmission line. More precisely, the evolution whether it is at the level of the robot's heart that is to say of the programming, and the handling, or at the level of the design which has been brought from one year to the next so that it conforms better to our living conditions. In this article, we categorize the challenges that the ETL robot inspector may face during its operation. A survey was conducted to list the published papers related to electrical transmission robot inspectors and challenges for designing, challenging like climate, communication systems, safety, etc.