Research on Magnetic Actuation Mechanism and Kinematics of Soft Inspection Robot for HVDC Transmission Line

Abstract

Currently, most of the inspection robots for high-voltage transmission lines, both at home and abroad, utilize a multi-cantilever rigid structure. However, the inefficiency and poor safety of these robots when it comes to crossing obstacles make them impractical. To address this issue, a magnetically actuated soft inspection robot has been developed. This robot uses the amperage force applied to the current-carrying coil in a HVDC toroidal magnetic field to efficiently and flexibly cross multiple obstacles in an inchworm-like motion. The focus of this paper is on the design and theoretical calculation of the magnetically actuated model, specifically the magnetic linear traction force and magnetic adsorption force (diastolic force), required to enable the soft robot to crawl. Through simulation and kinematic analysis, the results show that the magnetically actuated soft robot design proposed in this paper is theoretically feasible, providing a foundation for future developments in magnetically actuated soft robots.