Flying robot takes on ice-covered power lines in Hunan

According to the company, the robot's key innovation lies in its fully autonomous operation. Equipped with integrated sensors and recognition technology, it can navigate along power lines, precisely position itself, attach automatically, remove ice, and travel between transmission towers without human intervention.

Designed for complex terrain, the robot can latch onto lines at angles of up to 45 degrees, overcoming a major challenge in mountainous regions. Using a dual "cutting and crushing" technique, it removes more than 95 percent of ice layers with thicknesses of up to 18–20 millimeters, it added.