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It’s a tragic proven fact that birds are sometimes killed once they collide with unseen overhead energy strains. A brand new system is designed to maintain that from occurring, by utilizing a drone and a robotic to make these strains extra seen.
Announced earlier this month, the setup consists of an E2500 HP coaxial-rotor drone and a Mini LineFly robotic – each made by FulcrumAir – together with Bird-Flight Diverter gadgets manufactured by PLP (Preformed Line Products).
Each of the Diverters takes the type of a coiled size of wire, coated in PVC plastic. Ordinarily, these devices are wound and tightened onto energy strains by hand, at usually spaced intervals the place they’re going to be noticed by birds. It’s a time-consuming job, and is probably harmful for the employees who need to be lifted as much as the strains in elevating work platforms.
In the brand new system, nonetheless, the Diverters are utilized by the Mini LineFly.
FulcrumAir
The self-powered robotic is lowered down onto a piece of energy line by the drone, after which makes its approach alongside the size of that part, periodically stopping to the apply Diverters (from an onboard provide) because it goes. Propellers on both aspect of the robotic assist maintain it from swaying with the road in excessive winds.
Upon reaching the top of 1 part, the Mini LineFly is solely lifted again off once more by the drone and moved over to the following part. Just two ground-based operators are required, one for the drone and one for the robotic.
FulcrumAir
The system has already been utilized to position practically 15,000 Bird-Flight Diverters alongside a 75-mile (121-km) transmission line which is a part of the High Banks Wind Project in Kansas. “We are extraordinarily happy with how the Mini LineFly carried out throughout this demanding challenge,” mentioned FulcrumAir president and CEO, Patrick Arnell.
You can see a demo of the system, within the video under.
For different examples of line-crawling robots, take a look at the power-line-inspecting LineRanger and the fiber-optic-cable-applying Bombyx.
Drone-deployed Mini LineFly robotic locations Bird-Flight Diverters on energy strains
Source: FulcrumAir through Interesting Engineering