A State Grid Jiaxing Power Supply Company staff conducts ultra-high-voltage maintenance. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The State Grid Jiaxing Power Supply Company deployed advanced technologies—including exoskeleton assistance systems and drone-assisted X-ray inspection robots—for comprehensive maintenance work on the 1,000 kilovolt Antang I Line segment in Jiaxing on April 8. These innovations aim to ensure the safe and stable operation of the power grid.

The ultra-high-voltage maintenance project covered a wide range of critical tasks, including structural inspections of transmission towers, line route assessments, fault elimination in online monitoring devices such as "conductor elves", and X-ray inspections of tension clamps. To guarantee smooth execution, the team developed a detailed work plan based on field conditions and applied cutting-edge technologies to improve both efficiency and safety.

At the site of the transmission tower, workers wore state-of-the-art exoskeleton suits, allowing them to climb and inspect tower components with ease. These lightweight, bionic-inspired suits are equipped with intelligent sensors that adjust support in real-time based on the wearer's movements.

Compared to traditional manual operations, the use of exoskeletons increased work efficiency by 40 percent and significantly reduced the physical burden on staff, lowering risks of muscle fatigue and injury from prolonged tasks.

For X-ray inspections, high-capacity drones were used to transport and attach X-ray robots directly to the power lines. Controlled remotely, the robots moved along the lines to perform multi-angle, non-destructive testing of tension clamps. Inspection images were transmitted in real-time to ground terminals, enabling immediate analysis and hazard detection. This reduced the inspection time from 60 minutes to just 15 minutes, improving efficiency by 75 percent.

Additionally, drones were used to transport equipment known as "conductor elves" to the worksite. After manually replacing faulty components, the drones transported the defective devices back—completing the entire process in just 20 minutes.

In the next phase, the State Grid Jiaxing Power Supply Company will continue to explore the application of new "machine replacing human" technologies in practice, aiming for innovative breakthroughs in the comprehensive maintenance of transmission lines.

Editor: Xu Zhitian