Teleoperated Live-Line Distribution Working Robot Based on Human-Robot Shared Control

Summary

A teleoperated live-line distribution working robot based on human-robot shared control has been developed. Laboratory experiments showed that shared-control weighting improved trajectory efficiency while reducing task completion time and submovements. An abrupt teleoperation behavior detection algorithm reduced sudden operator movements and was successfully validated in field tapping operations.

Abstract

Traditional live-line work on distribution power lines relies on manual labor, characterized by high risk, high labor intensity, and high training costs; thus, developing distribution live-line working robots is an essential path to replacing manual operations. However, the working environment is highly unstructured and dynamic, with challenges such as complex outdoor lighting and unpredictable wind conditions. Existing robots primarily use either master-slave teleoperation or fully autonomous modes, which impose heavy mental burdens on operators, are highly susceptible to misoperation, and exhibit limited environmental adaptability.

To address these issues, this study presents a teleoperated distribution live-line working robot based on human-robot shared control. The final manipulator trajectory is obtained by a linearly weighted combination of two reference trajectories separately provided by the human operator and the robot’s automatic planning module. This approach reduces the robot's dependency on the operator, alleviates operator mental burden, improves efficiency, and prevents abrupt misoperations by the human operator. Finally, the paper presents the system design and verifies its effectiveness through application in real-world live-line tapping operations.

Introduction

Live-line working is a critical method for the inspection, testing, and maintenance of high-voltage equipment. The volume of live-line work in China has been growing rapidly. From the perspective of industry demand, solving the issue of personnel safety in live-line working is a long-term and arduous task. Innovation and improvement are still needed in methods, technologies, equipment, and concepts.

Distribution live-line working is one of the most common types of live-line working, which is for power distribution live-line maintenance. Due to the complex lighting environment, dense equipment layout, and small phase-to-phase and phase-to-gr....

Protocol

All experiments involving operators were conducted in accordance with safety guidelines. The teleoperation experiments were conducted by three trained operators (all right-handed, with at least 1 h of training) who are members of the research team. No external human participants were recruited, and this study did not require institutional ethics review. Volunteers were informed of the experimental procedures, and no personal or sensitive data were collected during the study.

Shared control framework

In live-line working scenarios, factors such as the irregular bending of power lines, the loss of ....

Results

Abrupt operation behavior detection
Figure 12 shows the time-series analysis of a representative trial on the laboratory platform, which includes two intentional sudden movements.
Both abrupt movements were detected (TPR = 100%) at 1.81 s and 5.72 s, respectively, with zero false positives (FPR = 0%) during 13.2 s of normal operation. Freeze response time: 1 frame (20 ms), measured by control loop timing.

Shared control performance.......

Discussion

This study proposes a teleoperated distribution live-line working robot system based on human-robot shared control. In contrast to fully autonomous systems that struggle with dynamic outdoor lighting and unstructured backgrounds¹², and traditional master-slave tracking teleoperation that imposes high cognitive and physical loads on operators^14,15,16, our approach fuses human intent with robotic autonomous.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Hikvision DS-2DC2D20IW-DE3	Hikvision	https://www.hikvision.com/cn/products/pdplist/161056/	pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) monitoring camera
KUNWEI KWR75	KUNWEItech	https://www.kunweitech.com/products/866.html	force sensor
LivoxAVIA	Livox(DJI)	https://www.livoxtech.com/cn/avia	laser LiDAR
Piper	AGILEX	https://www.agilex.ai/page/690abe7b5e78cfa260412c92?mi=1&rn=PIPER+%E6%A0%87%E5%87%86%E7%89%88	master/slave manipulator for experiment validation in laboratory platform
Python	Python Software Foundation	https://www.python.org/	programming language
RealSenseD435	Intel	https://store.realsenseai.com/buy-intel-realsense-depth-camera-d435.html	binocular camera
Touch	3D Systems	https://cn.3dsystems.com/haptics-devices/touch	haptic device
Ubuntu 24.04	Canonical Ubuntu	https://ubuntu.cn/	operation system
UR10	Universal Robots	https://www.universal-robots.cn/	manipulator of the Live-line working robot