Design and validation of a novel robot for power lines inspection

In this paper, a novel line inspection robot “Linebot” is proposed which has high maneuverability and keeps in compact size and lightweight. The robot has 11 cells that could be driven separately. As a result, there are three main types of motions to overcome the obstacles on the lines more efficiently. Two prototypes of robot are developed. Both are composed of a pair of wheels for driving the robot moving and a pair of grippers for holding the robot. The whole weight of the robot could be supported by the grippers with ball bearings design which greatly reduce the damage to the cable. A series of simulation and experiments are performed to evaluate the maneuverability of the robot. The results showed that the robot has good ability of motion.