Drone Research Project

Robot for Power Line Inspections

Automated data collection system for transmission power line inspection using UAVs for a more reliable and safer electric transmission network

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About the Project

Robot for Power Line Inspections

Automated Data Collection System for Transmission Power Line Inspection Using UAVs

Project Funding

This project is co-financed from the state budget by the Technology agency of the Czech Republic under the THETA Progamme.

Project Partners

Main Partner: AgentFly Technologies s.r.o.

Partners: ČEPS, a.s.; Eyedea Recognition s.r.o.; Fly4Future s.r.o.

Project Details

Call for Proposals: THÉTA 4 (STA02021TK040)

Contest Type: VS – Public tender

Contract ID: TK04020220

Time Period: 01/2022 – 12/2024

Regular inspection of electric transmission network elements is fundamental for the timely detection of defects. Currently, inspections are performed using a helicopter. Defects are identified by an onboard expert during flight or by using video recordings afterwards. Using a helicopter for inspections presents various problems, e.g., safety, data standardization, and output data quality.

The goal of the Inspel project, which is co-financed from the state budget by the Technology agency of the Czech Republic under the THETA Progamme, is to develop a system using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with onboard sensors, control algorithms, and an image processing system. This will allow the replacement of the regularly planned aerial inspection of power lines, which is currently operated using a helicopter.

The task of the Fly4Future team in the project is the design and development of software for the autonomous control of the movement of unmanned vehicles, the verification of partial technologies in simulation, and real experiments.

The system allows for automating data collection. The impacts of a new solution include lower costs, improved quality of aerial data acquisition, and improved evaluation. The new solution will lead to improved reliability and safety of the electric transmission network.

The currently presented project could be used in the future for multi-robotic inspection of power lines using an operator interface, in which the responsible person would mark out the inspection locations and have the display of current data from the sensors available. This will significantly speed up checks on the lines and, above all, it will be possible to use the drone system for unplanned inspections in the event of accidents, which is not possible now.

See the Project Outcomes

INSPEL TK04020220-V3

Software for automatic UAV flight control for visual data collection in transmission power lines inspection.

Our solution combines robust hardware, advanced autonomy, and flexible sensor integration to turn raw inspection data into meaningful insights that improve safety, efficiency, and decision-making.

The platforms are designed to operate both in GNSS and GNSS-denied environments, featuring advanced localization, obstacle avoidance, and fully autonomous flight trajectories.
The mission-planning interface allows operators to define inspection points, automate scan patterns, and monitor telemetry in real time, including battery status, sensor data, and communication link quality.
A modular design supports various sensor configurations (thermal cameras, LiDAR, optical or ultrasonic sensors), customizable for specific inspection needs such as structural integrity, pipelines, or machinery.
Multi-robot coordination enables cooperative missions, for example, simultaneous scanning of interior and exterior areas, synchronized data acquisition, and faster coverage of large sites.
The user interface provides straightforward mission setup, result visualization, and data interpretation tools, transforming every inspection into a source of actionable operational intelligence.