As reported by People's Daily, the third-generation flying de-icing robot, known as the KICE-500 model, has been ingeniously crafted by the State Grid Hunan Electric Power Company. This innovative device made its debut in real-world operations on the 110-kilovolt Tianshi Line, perched at a lofty altitude of 1,000 meters in Cili County, Zhangjiajie, Hunan.
The robot seamlessly integrates a flying platform with a de-icing mechanism. With just a simple button press, it can be automatically deployed in the air and securely attach to power lines, achieving precise high-altitude mounting in a mere 0.3 seconds. Leveraging a dual de-icing approach that combines vibration hammers and blade impacts, it is capable of clearing 500 meters of iced conductors in a swift 10 minutes, boasting an efficiency over 10 times greater than that of traditional manual methods.
Equipped with high-precision sensors and cutting-edge AI recognition algorithms, the robot is adept at automatically identifying power lines even in challenging weather conditions. It continuously monitors icing in real-time and intelligently adjusts the de-icing intensity and speed to safeguard the lines from potential damage. Moreover, it features adaptive span-crossing technology, enabling it to autonomously navigate to the next span of the line, thus completely eliminating the need for any manual intervention.