LineScout Technology: From inspection to robotic maintenance on live transmission power lines

Power line inspection and maintenance practices are evolving as changing market regulations, significantly increased line loading and system availability requirements put pressure on grid owners to innovate. Robotics is thus making its debut in that field. Described in previous papers as an inspection tool, Hydro-Quebec LineScout technology is evolving into a teleoperated mobile robot capable of performing basic maintenance tasks. Programmable pan-and-tilt camera (PPTC) units were designed and implemented as the first step towards enhanced teleoperation control. LineArm, a dual end effector robotic arm, was specifically designed for work on bundled conductors. Design specifications and kinematics of these two subsystems are presented. Implemented application modules to be mounted on LineArm are also presented and their utilization is reported as a milestone in power line live maintenance. Lastly, future work and challenges in applying robotics to transmission line maintenance are briefly discussed.