Technical Feasibility Study on the Biomimetic Drone for Inspection of Electric Power Lines

Abstract

Live-line maintenance for electric power lines is very dangerous because of their ultra-high voltage environments and the risks of falling from heights. Recently, drone technology has been spotlighted due to its maneuverability and stable controllability, and has been being applied to maintenance works in the electric power industry. This paper presents a new type of drone that can be transformable by introducing biomimetics to its mechanism and can run on an overhead ground wire as well as it can fly. Its technical feasibility was confirmed through experiments. Keywords