A Universal and Adaptable Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle for the Inspection and Monitoring of Electrical Substations

Overview

Power grids, necessary for the distribution of power that billions rely upon, are encountering a growing number of threats from climate change, extreme weather events, and aging infrastructure. There is a strong need for more modernized electrical grids which utilize monitoring technologies in order to improve the efficiency of grid operation while preventing injuries. In recent studies, robotic systems have been employed in electrical substations to increase the efficiency, safety, and reliability of grid maintenance. Thus far, however, few substation monitoring robots have shown the necessary partial discharge (PD) detection abilities, navigation and manipulator accuracy, adaptability and versatility. I worked to develop an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) for substation monitoring with the appropriate accuracy, flexibility, and autonomy for the maintenance 74 task. The robot’s novel design was tested in three computer simulated environments meant to mimic real- world substations and in two real-world environments: a robotics lab and an electrical substation. The robot successfully, autonomously, and efficiently completed the necessary tasks. The first use of a simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm to navigate throughout the substation as well as the integration of a fusion of sensors made the novel UGV far more versatile and adaptable than its predecessors, and the overall system showed improved situational awareness, perception, and inspection capabilities crucial for the dynamic substation environment. NORTH CAROLINA

Competition history

• JSHS 2023 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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