Robotic infrastructure automation is reshaping sectors like energy, transportation, utilities, and others. From autonomous excavation to precise infrastructure mapping, robotics is driving a new era of efficiency, safety, and resilience. Here are 5 impactful examples of robotic infrastructure automation, showcasing how different industries are benefiting from these advanced technologies.
1. Robotic Utility Excavation
The Challenge: Manual excavation presents utilities with a range of challenges, from safety concerns to productivity and cost efficiency. These challenges make it difficult to maintain both the speed and quality needed for infrastructure projects. Some of the primary issues faced include:
- High Costs: Manual excavation is labor-intensive—traditional methods involve lengthy processes to dig, inspect, and restore roadways, adding to overall expenses.
- Safety Risks: Excavation sites are high-risk environments, exposing workers to heavy equipment, unstable ground, and possible exposure to hazardous materials. Manual excavation also increases the likelihood of accidental utility strikes, which can pose severe safety threats to workers and the public.
- Time and Disruption: Manual excavation can take days or even weeks, causing significant road closures and disruptions to traffic, communities, and local businesses.
The Solution: The Robotic Roadworks and Excavation System (RRES) is transforming traditional excavation and roadwork methods for gas and utility networks. This all-electric robotic system is designed to perform complex excavation and repair tasks on transmission and distribution mains and other buried utilities with unparalleled precision and efficiency. Benefits include:
- Improved Efficiency: Using innovative core and vacuum excavation methods, RRES accelerates roadwork processes, minimizes time in the streets, and reduces operational costs.
- Reduced Damage Risk: Equipped with soft-touch excavation technology, AI, and machine learning, RRES lowers the likelihood of accidental damage to buried infrastructure, safeguarding other utilities.
- Enhanced Safety: By limiting the need for manual entry into excavations, RRES improves worker safety and reduces public safety risks related to accidental utility damage.
The RRES exemplifies how robotic automation is revolutionizing roadwork efficiency and safety while supporting sustainability goals, making it a standout in robotic infrastructure automation.
2. Autonomous Robotic Underground Mapping
The Challenge: Traditional underground mapping methods rely heavily on manual data collection, which is not only time-consuming but also prone to human error. Errors in data collection can be costly, especially in urban environments where precise mapping is critical to avoid utility strikes and other hazardous situations during excavation.
In addition to the challenges of data collection, traditional methods often require substantial time for analysis and interpretation. Data gathered manually typically needs to be processed and reviewed by subject matter experts, which delays the timeline for excavation projects.
Another significant challenge of conventional mapping techniques is their limitations in GPS-denied environments, such as dense urban areas or indoor locations where GPS signals are scattered or blocked. In these conditions, traditional mapping technologies struggle to maintain the necessary accuracy for safe and efficient operations, which can lead to further complications and inefficiencies for projects that rely on precise subsurface mapping.
The Solution: AUSMOS is a robotic platform that uses autonomous ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EM) sensors to create accurate, high-resolution 3D maps of underground infrastructure. Developed to enhance safety and efficiency, AUSMOS autonomously detects and marks out buried assets, providing same-day data interpretation and mark-outs to prevent accidental damages and ensure worker safety. Benefits include:
- On-Site Data Processing: AUSMOS provides near-real-time results and mark-outs in the field, removing delays for external data analysis and allowing teams to make informed decisions on-site.
- High-Resolution 3D Mapping: The robotic platform collects dense data that creates a highly detailed 3D model of subsurface assets, enhancing accuracy and project planning.
- Enhanced Data Acquisition: By eliminating manual errors in data capture, AUSMOS improves the reliability of maps and minimizes the risk of costly excavation damage.
- Operation in GPS-Denied Areas: AUSMOS uses onboard LiDAR and advanced localization, enabling it to navigate and map accurately even in GPS-denied environments.
AUSMOS’ autonomous capabilities and high-resolution mapping technology represent a major step forward in underground infrastructure management, setting a new standard for accuracy, efficiency, and safety in excavation and construction projects.
AUSMOS in Action: See the power of autonomous mapping in London and Epsom.
3. Asset Identification and Mapping
The Challenge: Manual inspection of utility poles and assets is resource-intensive and prone to inconsistencies. Inspectors often have to navigate difficult terrain to access poles, transformers, and switches, making data collection both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Manual methods are also limited in accuracy, making it challenging to keep an up-to-date, precise record of asset locations and conditions. This traditional approach can result in costly delays in identifying maintenance needs or potential hazards, which can impact network reliability and increase response times during emergencies.
The Solution: The AIM platform revolutionizes asset management for overhead electric distribution systems by using a vehicle-mounted, AI-driven data collection system to generate high-resolution maps of utility poles and other infrastructure. Through machine learning, AIM creates an interactive visual database and a GIS-based map of identified assets, providing utility companies with real-time insights that improve reliability, enhance asset management, and reduce operational costs. Benefits include:
- Accurate Identification: AIM’s deep learning model processes data in real time, identifying assets such as poles, transformers, switches, and fuses with over 98% accuracy. The model continuously improves through use, ensuring increasingly accurate and reliable data for utility companies.
- Enhanced Localization and Mapping: AIM uses advanced image processing techniques to measure the exact location of each asset and integrates the data into a global map, which can be further synchronized with any GIS mapping system.
- Automated Asset Inspection: AIM not only identifies assets but also inspects them, detecting issues like pole lean angles to assess the structural integrity of each component.
- Customizable Platform: AIM’s machine learning model can be customized to recognize and inspect additional assets, allowing utility companies to scale the technology according to specific needs.
- Reduced Demand on Subject Matter Experts: With AIM’s ability to autonomously identify and inspect assets, utility companies can reduce reliance on SMEs for data review and asset condition analysis, improving resource allocation and efficiency.
By automating the mapping and inspection of overhead infrastructure, AIM enables utility companies to streamline operations, enhance asset reliability, and maintain safety standards efficiently. AIM’s ability to reduce manual workload while delivering highly accurate, real-time data marks a significant advancement in utility asset management.
4. Circuit Breaker Racking Robot
The Challenge: The traditional method of handling circuit breakers poses significant risks to workers. Close proximity to breakers during the racking process exposes operators to potential arc flashes, a serious electrical hazard that can lead to severe injuries or fatalities. Additionally, the manual handling of heavy circuit breakers can result in soft tissue injuries due to repetitive strain or improper lifting techniques. These challenges emphasize the necessity for automated solutions that prioritize worker safety while maintaining operational efficiency.
The Solution: The Circuit Breaker Racking Robot designed to enhance safety and efficiency in indoor electric distribution substations. This semi-autonomous mobile robot addresses the critical need for safer handling of medium voltage circuit breakers, transforming maintenance and repair activities in substations. Benefits include:
- Improved Operator Safety: The robot autonomously racks in and removes breakers from cubicles, allowing operators to maintain a safe distance from the high-voltage environment and preventing exposure to arc flash hazards.
- Obstacle Detection and Collision Avoidance: Equipped with dual 2D LiDAR units, the robot can detect obstacles during navigation. If an obstacle is detected nearby, the robot will automatically pause operations, and the operator is notified through an integrated warning system, ensuring a safe working environment.
- Autonomous Breaker Alignment: Using advanced laser profilers, the Breaker Racking Robot can autonomously detect features of breakers and cabinets, minimizing the risk of errors during the racking process.
The Circuit Breaker Racking Robot represents a significant advancement in substation safety and efficiency. By automating the handling of circuit breakers, it not only protects workers from hazardous situations but also streamlines maintenance operations, ultimately leading to enhanced reliability and reduced downtime in electric distribution systems.
5. Electric Cable End Preparation System
The Challenge: Traditional methods of cable end preparation involve manual labor, which not only increases the risk of operator errors but also exposes workers to high voltage lines. These hazards can lead to serious accidents and injuries. Additionally, the manual process can be time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies, affecting the overall reliability of the connections made within the electric grid. The need for a solution that enhances safety, efficiency, and precision is crucial in modern utility operations.
The Solution: The Electric Cable End Preparation System is designed to automate the preparation of medium voltage cables for termination. This cutting-edge machine enhances the reliability and resilience of connections within the power grid while significantly improving the safety of utility workers. Benefits include:
- Enhanced Operator Safety: By automating cable end preparation, the machine relocates operators away from potentially hazardous situations, particularly when working with medium voltage lines.
- Improved Operational Efficiency: The system addresses time-consuming tasks that require considerable manual effort, leading to significant improvements in workflow efficiency.
- Repeatability and Consistency: The machine’s precision ensures that each step of the cable end preparation is executed consistently, delivering high-quality results.
- Cost-Effective Operation: Automating the cable preparation process minimizes labor-intensive procedures, saving time and money. The reduction in human errors also decreases the likelihood of costly repairs or replacement of damaged equipment.
The Electric Cable End Preparation System exemplifies how automation can enhance safety, reliability, and efficiency in utility operations. By reducing the risks associated with traditional methods, it empowers utility workers while ensuring high-quality connections within the power grid.
Infrastructure Automation Robots: The Future Is Here
Robotic infrastructure automation is evolving and transforming the way various industries approach their operations. The five examples in this post illustrate a profound shift towards enhanced efficiency, safety, and reliability across various sectors.
By automating traditionally manual processes, these technologies not only mitigate risks for workers but also improve overall productivity, reduce operational costs, and enhance the accuracy of critical tasks. As the demand for smarter, safer, and more resilient infrastructure grows, the adoption of robotic solutions will play an essential role in addressing the challenges faced by energy, transportation, utilities, and more.
In embracing these infrastructure automation advancements, industries can not only meet current demands but also prepare for a future where automation and robotics are integral to infrastructure management. The journey towards fully automated infrastructure is just beginning, but the benefits of these innovations are already evident, paving the way for a more efficient and safer tomorrow.
