Transmission line maintenance robots capable of crossing obstacles: State‐of‐the‐art review and challenges ahead

Abstract

Abstract Power line inspection and maintenance already benefit from developments in mobile robotics. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the state of the art. It focuses on mobile robots designed to cross obstacles found on a typical transmission line while using the conductor as support for traveling. Promising areas of research and development as well as challenges that remain to be solved are discussed with a view to developing fully autonomous technologies. Maintenance tasks, including inspection and repairs, are identified as high‐value applications in transmission live‐line work. Conclusions are drawn from experience, and the future of mobile robotics applied to transmission line maintenance is discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.