New Line Life Podcast: Discovering the Power of Drones, Part 1

For many years, electric utilities have used drones to inspect infrastructure and assess damage during storm response. Listen to this episode to hear Peter Fuhr, the technical director of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), discuss the latest research on drone technology and how it can help utilities to save time in the field, reduce truck rolls and take a proactive approach to maintenance. 

ORNL researchers have developed a drone-based sensing system that can conduct automated, real-time inspections of power lines in response to any unusual behavior in the electric grid. The researchers recently completed a demonstration at a regional utility that is interested in deploying it on a larger scale.

For Part 1, you'll first learn about Peter's first-hand experience with Hurricane Helene in Florida and his background as an apprentice lineworker in Minnesota. He'll also give an overview of the evolution of drone technology that inspired new research at ORNL. 

Tune in to Part 2 in the near future to hear Peter take a deeper dive into the research and learn how far drone technology has come in the world of electric utilities.