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A Robotic Cable Inspection System

Posted by Zonk on from the amazing-voyage-only-without-guts dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "In a short article, Popular Science reports that researchers at the University of Washington have built a robotic cable inspection system. This system should help utility companies to maintain their networks of subterranean cables. The robot, dubbed Cruiser, is about 4-feet-long and is designed like a snake. When it detects an anomaly on an underground cable, it sends a message to a human operator via Wi-Fi. The first field tests took place in New Orleans in December 2006. But a commercial version should not be available before 2012."

4 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. blog spam by PatentMagus · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yet more piquepaille blog spam. a robotic cable inspection system is the one and only link to hit.

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    I am a lawyer, but not yours. Anything I tell you might be a total lie intended to benefit my clients at your expense.
    1. Re:blog spam by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 2, Informative

      Rolands article has links to the

      Main Seal project homepage

      Movies and pictures of it in action

      Don't just dismiss Roland, I found the popsci link rather lacking in comparison.

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      liqbase :: faster than paper
  2. Re:holy #$%& a subject! by radicalnerd · · Score: 2, Informative
    A wireless thermometer is just a sensor. This robot *does do onboard signal processing to help it navigate. From the popsci article:

    Human operators can upload a basic mission plan, which the robot's circuit-board brain fine-tunes as it encounters damaged cable.
  3. What about aerial cables? by nexuspal · · Score: 2, Informative

    Probably would make this linemans job much safer
    link
    PS, thats a helicopter he's sitting on...

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