DEVELOPMENT OF A ROBOTIC MODULE COUPLED TO A DRONE FOR INSTALLATION OF SPACERS IN HIGH-VOLTAGE CABLES

With industrial and residential electricity demands on the increase, electrification plays a fundamental role in providing the necessary infrastructure for this constant evolution, which fuels several sectors that are important to society. To distribute electricity on a large scale and over long distances, high-voltage transmission systems, which operate at very high voltages with multiple cables, are commonly used worldwide. These cables must be spaced apart to ensure that they do not come into contact. Thus, in this paper, we develop a robotic module coupled with a drone that is used to install spacers. Spacers are elements that are used between various cables within a power distribution system to keep them apart. The drone transports the robotic module to the cable, controls the robotic module using radio signals, and installs/uninstalls the spacer. After completing the procedure, the drone searches for the robotic module, returning it to the ground station to repeat the operation if necessary. This paper describes the development of the mathematical model followed by the CAD/CAE design. Computer simulations verified the feasibility of using this robotic module for installing spacers. It is noteworthy that this module can be placed on cables using a drone or a hot stick, eliminating the need for technicians to come into direct contact with the cables or to move along them. This drone–robot aims to reduce risks for technicians who carry out these operations by climbing the towers and moving on cables or in some cases may be suspended from a platform fixed to a helicopter.