Robotics in transmission O&M (Robotic isolation of MV breakers and condition monitoring using AI and AR)

According to the World Robotics Report-2020, released by the International Robotic Federation (IRF), India now features among the top 10 countries with the most annual installations of robots in industries, with robotic equipment now playing a crucial role in all O&M activities, leading to a reduction in both manpower and expenditure.

Remote monitoring of Industrial assets, complex physical equipment has proven its value across a range of verticals. As companies seek to drive value through more reliable and digital laden products, implementing remote monitoring will become increasingly mandatory to compete. Early adopters have already established an early advantage to position themselves with best-in-class service.

To reduce the travelling time and paperwork for station rounds, a pilot project done at Tata Power & developed a prototype for robotic condition monitoring of stations incorporating features of augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

The developed robot is a line follower, using IR and Proximity sensors for path following and object detection. It is equipped with a vertical slider mounted camera, having a 12MP resolution and 5X optical zoom. RFID Sensors are present for detection of RFID tags. All accessory processing such as remote command, relaying camera footage, webserver development is done through the equipped ARM chip.

Advanced Augmented Reality (AR) features were developed to superimpose real-time data & virtual objects on to the real system environment. AR application puts real-time information and relevant information at your fingertips, whenever and wherever it is needed. Digital application developed to guide real time operations and monitor the parameters of all Station Equipment.

Developed robot will be perform rack-in and rack-out of Air Insulated (AIS) switchgear as its primary function, removing the need for manual effort in doing the same.