Installation of Clip-Type Bird Flight Diverters on High-Voltage Power Lines with Aerial Manipulation Robot: Prototype and Testbed Experimentation

Abstract

This work presents the application of an aerial manipulation robot for the semi-autonomous installation of clip-type bird flight diverters on overhead power line cables. A custom-made prototype is designed, developed, and experimentally validated. The proposed solution aims to reduce the cost and risk of current procedures carried out by human operators deployed on suspended carts, lifts, or manned helicopters. The system consists of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a custom-made tool. This tool allows the high force required for the diverter installation to be generated; however, it is isolated from the aerial robot through a passive joint. Thus, the aerial robot stability is not compromised during the installation. This paper thoroughly describes the designed prototype and the control system for semi-autonomous operation. Flight experiments conducted in an illustrative scenario validate the performance of the system; the tests were carried out in an indoor testbed using a power line cable mock-up.

Collecting critically endangered cliff plants using a drone-based sampling manipulator

“…Aside from common imagery applications, drones have been used recently to interact directly with their environment using manipulators 10 – 12 specially designed for applications like infrastructure inspection 10 – 16 and in-contact power line inspection 17 – 19 . The field of biodiversity conservation and monitoring also offers opportunities for aerial manipulation.…”

A 79.7g Manipulator Prototype for E-Flap Robot: A Plucking-Leaf Application

“…Recent aerial platforms [1]- [4], have demonstrated to be very efficient solutions for remote sensing for mapping, inspection in industrial environments, detecting natural disasters, and cooperative free-flying for assembly and structure constructions. There are several devices for manipulation, ranging from one-degree-of-freedom (DoF) grippers [5]- [7], vacuum-cups to grab an object [8], to multi-DoF manipulators [9]- [12]. The reported aerial manipulation tasks have been successfully performed [1].…”