Digital Transformation on Power Transmission Line Inspection using Autonomous Drone and Deep Learning

The electrical power generation industry is undergoing significant digital transformation in every aspect. One of the most important assets of this industry is the power transmission line (PTL) system. PTL system distributes electric power for residential and industrial uses. PTL requires regular inspections for early damage detection and maintenance to transmit high-voltage electric power efficiently and reliably. The detection and localization of damage across transmission equipment are crucial, as they help power transmission companies reduce maintenance expenses and prevent unexpected power outages. Traditionally, these inspections have been conducted by line crawling or with the assistance of a helicopter to plan for necessary repair or replacement works before any significant damage that could cause a power outage. These traditional solutions are slow, costly, and dangerous. The emergence of drones, high-resolution cameras, edge computing, and deep learning technology opens the opportunity for PTL inspection using drones. In this paper, the literature review is conducted as a preliminary study for our research. Moreover, the state-of-the-art of PTL technology, the general autonomous drone-based PTL inspection system, is being discussed. Finally, we summarize the research challenge and future direction of research in this field.