PRESS RELEASE: China Telecom, in conjunction with Zhejiang University and ZTE Corporation, jointly launched a digital twin-based communication and perception integrated robot inspection program, which guarantees the routine inspection tasks of substations by empowering quadrupedal robots with the ability to communicate, perceive, and control each other in a real and virtual way, thus reducing the safety risks of substations, meeting the high-frequency inspection needs, and compensating for the lack of manual inspections.
Electricity has become an indispensable source of energy nowadays, and the global substation market size is expected to reach USD 204.82 billion by 2032. In the power industry, safety is always a top priority. According to a report by International Electricity Employees (IEE), the number of deaths due to power sector related accidents is around 3,000 per year globally and the direct and indirect economic losses are estimated to be more than USD 20 billion.
The digital twin-based communication-aware integrated robotic inspection scheme has the following main innovations:
- Use of 5G Intelligent Sensing Transmission Nodes to significantly reduce transmission latency: Wi-Fi 6E and 5G hybrid communication technologies are used to provide low-latency services for virtual and real inter-control between manipulators and robots to meet real-time inspection tasks. It realizes full coverage of communication in the plant and creates a low-latency experience of real-virtual inter-control. Through testing, the delay from the control signal at the virtual terminal to the actual scene is roughly 35 ms.
2. Discovering potential safety risks through high-precision sensing technology: The robotic inspection system adopts advanced high-precision sensing technology, including thermal imaging, infrared sensing, LIDAR and other equipment, which allows it to carry out a comprehensive inspection of the equipment in the substation. By monitoring key parameters such as temperature, vibration and current of the equipment in real time, the robot is able to detect potential safety hazards such as overheating of the equipment, wear and tear of components or abnormal voltage. This information will be fed back to the operators through the digital twin platform to help them take preventive measures in advance, thus reducing safety risks in substation operation.
3. Based on intelligent automated inspection system, realize accurate fault location: Intelligent automated inspection system integrates advanced AI algorithms and autonomous navigation technology, which can autonomously complete inspection work according to predetermined inspection routes or real-time generated task requirements. The robot is able to autonomously avoid obstacles in the complex plant environment and accurately arrive at the designated location for equipment status inspection and data collection. Combined with digital twin technology, the robot can simulate inspection tasks in real scenarios, compare and analyze the virtual model with the status of the actual equipment, and realize accurate fault location and risk assessment.
The digital twin-based communication-aware integrated robot not only realizes regular comprehensive inspection and maintenance of equipment to ensure the safe operation of the power system, but also solves the problem of the large scale of the power production system, the wide variety of equipment, and the high cost of maintenance; it also solves the problems of low efficiency of manual inspection, the poor working environment, and the omission due to visual fatigue or lack of experience.
Take a power station as an example, since the deployment, it has carried out more than 570 inspections, and found 9 defects, all the first time to alarm and get eliminated. With this “quick-eyed and quick-footed” good helper day and night guarding, the station equipment is safer and more reliable. The station covers an area of 139 acres, equivalent to 13 soccer fields so large, the station 1900 equipment, more than 18,000 points, one by one carefully look down to nearly 2 hours, the deployment of digital twin-based communication perception integration robot, the station patrol time shortened by 1/4, to enhance the efficiency of the site operation and maintenance of more than 50%.
The convergence of digital twin robotics and 5G technology represents a significant advancement in improving safety and efficiency in the power industry. Looking ahead, as the technology matures and applications continue to deepen, it is believed that this combination will create an unprecedented change in the power industry. The integration of digital twin robotics and 5G technology is not only an important means to improve safety and efficiency in the power industry, but also applicable to emergency relief, urban security patrol, industrial inspection and production line assembly and handling, courier delivery and other industry applications, promoting intelligent, high-quality development in various industries.