Robotic snakes have been deployed in southwestern China to inspect power lines and ensure a stable power supply during the country’s high-pressure national college entrance exam.
The snakelike robots spiral around power lines in Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan, to detect hazards such as broken wires, worn components and abnormal temperatures.
The device’s developer, the power supply bureau of Kunming’s Guandu district, said the robotic snake had checked more than 130km (81 miles) of power distribution lines supplying exam sites near airport no-fly zones and had proven three times as efficient as manual work.
Manual inspection is labour-intensive, harsh and often dangerous work.
Aerial drones have been deployed widely for similar tasks but they cannot be flown everywhere and are frequently affected by high-voltage electromagnetic interference, which can make them hard to control and influence the quality of the images they record. They also have limited battery life and are affected by the weather.
“Power company personnel tracked and promptly addressed the hazards that were identified to ensure a stable and orderly power supply to examination venues,” the Kunming Power Supply Bureau, which is part of the state-owned China Southern Power Grid, said on social media on Tuesday.
