糖果派对

A flying toolbox. This is how Professor Emad Samuel Malki Ebeid describes the robot that he and his colleagues expect to have ready in just three years.

In the newly launched Robots4Green project, researchers from 糖果派对, together with Aarhus University, Develco, WeFly, and Energinet, will develop new technologies for maintaining high-voltage power lines. Specifically, the project involves a series of sensors to monitor the condition of the lines and a flying robot capable of repairing and replacing parts on the power lines.

The flying robot will consist of an aerial robot that can fly up to the lines and a deploy a robot on the lines to perform the work before being retrieved again by the aerial robot.

There are many good reasons to undertake such a project, says Emad Samuel Malki Ebeid.

- Many of our power lines date back to the 1970s, so there are many small parts that need replacement, such as dampers, spacers, bird diverters and old sensors. An estimate based on Energinet’s data shows that approximately 300,000 components need to be replaced, the professor says.

Currently, helicopters and cranes are used to perform work on power lines, but given the enormous maintenance task ahead, this is not a particularly efficient solution.

- With a robotic system, the work can be done faster, far cheaper, and, most importantly, in a greener way. The robots are small in size and can be transported to the power lines in ordinary passenger cars – even electric cars – whereas today, large cranes are transported by lorries, says Emad Samuel Malki Ebeid.

- Another crucial detail is that with the robot, we will also be able to maintain the power lines without having to shut off the electricity from the lines. That means energy companies do not need to disturb their service to perform the maintenance work and thus trading more energy.¨

Future power grid

The project is supported by the Danish Energy Agency's development fund (EUDP) by 16 million Danish kroner, has a total budget of 20 million Danish kroner, and is part of preparing the Danish power grid for the green transition.

As the number of electric cars increases, more homes are heated with heat pumps, and power-to-X plants are built, Energinet itself predicts that the load on the grid will increase fivefold by 2050.

- To make the power grid ready for this load, we are going to use robotic technology for maintenance. Additionally, the new smart sensors, which can monitor power lines far more extensively, can also be installed by the robots, says Emad Samuel Malki Ebeid.

The professor is confident that the robotic system and sensors can realistically be ready within three years.

The researchers will draw on experiences from earlier research projects, such as IFD Drones4Energy and EU H2020 Drones4Safety, where they – as the first in the world – developed drones capable of landing on high-voltage power lines and recharging their batteries.

- The biggest challenge here is mitigating the electromagnetic interference around the high-voltage lines without damaging the electronics. But we already know how to do that, he says.

- So yes, I am very optimistic.