An intelligent robot for indoor substation inspection

Purpose To ensure the safety of electric power supply, it is necessary to inspect substation equipment. With the dramatic increase in the number of substations, especially indoor substations, intelligent robot inspection has become an important development direction. This paper aims to describe the design of a trackless robot with a robotic arm, which is capable of navigating autonomously and inspecting the equipment in a narrow and complex indoor substation. Design/methodology/approach A robust four-wheel platform powered by electric motors is used to carry the robot. By fusing multiple-sensor data and visual markers, the robot achieves autonomous movement based on simultaneous localization and mapping. In addition, to accurately obtain the reading of meters located at height or in a narrow space, the robot is equipped with a newly designed visual servo robotic arm. Findings In practical application, the robot satisfies the requirements of substation inspection, improves work efficiency, saves costs and achieves good results. The robot is also approved by the relevant departments of the State Grid Corporation of China. Practical implications After stable operation in a substation for a period of one year, the robot shows high efficiency and stability, meeting the requirements of indoor substation inspection. Meanwhile, the robot greatly promoted the realization of indoor and outdoor integrated substation automatic inspection, and is expected to be further applied in other industrial inspection sites, including mine, tunnel and nuclear power plant. Originality/value Due to the complex indoor environment, most of the existing inspection robots are only used outdoors, and there are no good trackless inspection robots for use indoors. The proposed robot is a trackless intelligent inspection robot for use in indoor substations. The robot features a number of important modules, including an autonomous localization and navigation module and a visual servo manipulator module, which can be used in narrow spaces or at height.