Non-conducting manipulator for live-line maintenance: Use of pneumatic artificial muscles

There are some situations where traditional robotics cannot be used or are very limited. This is the case of high electric and/or magnetic field environments such as electric power lines or inside a magnetic resonance machine. For the continuous supply of electric energy, companies frequently perform live-line maintenances, which are very dangerous. Teleoperated robots can be used for the live-line maintenance, but there are several difficulties, including the insulation. For that, this paper presents a study regarding the development of a totally non-conducting manipulator for-live line maintenance. The work firstly discusses the strategy for developing such device, concluding that efforts should be concentrated on the development of a nonconducting actuator. Thus, a McKibben type pneumatic artificial muscle is proposed as a nonconducting actuator. The prototype is developed and its characteristics, including its control, is evaluated.