Overview
Inspecting and maintaining overhead power lines usually means keeping a UAV hovering nearby for the whole task, which limits both endurance and how precisely it can act on the line itself. This project instead gives the aircraft a way to dock directly onto the line and drive itself along the cable, turning the power line into a track rather than just an inspection target.
Once docked, the platform is being extended to carry out maintenance tasks directly on the line, including installing armor rods — the protective sleeves fitted around a conductor at support points — alongside line-traversal inspection. Earlier work in this line explored a wire-suspended hand for long-reach tool use, including aerial pruning with a suspended saw, which the docking and drive system builds on.