New Line Life Podcast: Diving into Drone Research

Part 2 of our series featuring guest Peter Fuhr of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory explores the drone research underway at ORNL. He shares the story about testing the technology at EPB in Tennessee and describes how the drones are not only capturing imagery but can also measure electromagnetic fields and the sounds of arcing.

Through an ORNL research project called Autonomous Information Measurement Systems and Systems (AIMS), drones can communicate with one another to identify a problem on the grid. For example, a scout drone can first fly out to take images, and then if necessary, call out a specialist drone to take more measurements to determine whether or not it's necessary for a line truck to roll out to the location to make repairs. As such, it helps save time for a utility's field workforce.

For more information, check out Part 1 of this interview series and stay tuned for an article about this research and technology in T&D World magazine in 2025.