Expliner — From prototype towards a practical robot for inspection of high-voltage lines

Transmission of electricity depends on high-voltage lines, crossing thousands of kilometers in mountainous areas, deserts and forests. The preventive maintenance of these lines is of extreme importance. However, this requires the temporary interruption of transmission of energy, which is not always possible. In this paper, the authors present Expliner, a new concept to move on live transmission lines, negotiating obstacles and performing detailed inspection of the conductors, with reduced risks to the operators and no need to interrupt the transmission of electricity. This paper presents not only details of the concept, but also of its implementation and operational procedures that were developed for the use of a robot in such demanding conditions.