3D Printed Robot Design Reduces Costs

Nick Morozovsky is a mechanical engineering graduate student at University of California San Diego, where he has designed a robot he calls SkySweeper that can traverse power lines to search for damages in the wire. The robot is a novel design because it only has a motor at the joint, and inexpensive because it uses off-the-shelf electronics in combination with 3D printed plastic parts. This makes Morozovsky’s robot an immediate competitor in the space.

“Current line inspection robots are large, complex, and expensive. Utility companies may also use manned or unmanned helicopters equipped with infrared imaging to inspect lines,” said Morozovsky in an interview with his school. “This is much simpler.”

Morozovsky plans to introduce the robot at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Tokyo in November, as part of a paper titled “A Low Degrees of Freedom, Dynamic High Wire Robot.”

The SkySweeper is competing in the Road to Maker Faire Challenge to win $2,500 to pay for expenses for the World Maker Faire in New York in September. If you like this robot, go vote for Skysweeper until August 13 at http://review.wizehive.com/voting/view/makermedia2013/15849/1387186/0, or learn about the contest here: http://makezine.com/road-to-maker-faire-challenge/