Pole Climbing Robot
City of
Newcastle
De-risks, simplifies and significantly reduces the cost of deploying S2 sensor hardware
3D printing and precision machining, followed by comprehensive assembly, refinement, and testing
Enables single-person operation for deploying and removing the S2 Smart City Sensor Stack
The Brief
During the development of the Smart Cities S2 hardware Design Anthology identified that one of the major barriers to the effective and efficient success of the product, was the cost of deploying the S2 sensor hardware to the top of the Hess Smart Pole due to the requirement for traffic control and elevated work platforms and labour. This barrier became an opportunity to develop an additional product, the Pole Climbing Robot, that would deploy the S2 sensor hardware.
The goal of this project was to develop a solution that de-risked, simplified and significantly reduced the cost of deploying the S2 sensor hardware.
Challenges & Opportunities
Challenges:
- Safely and reliably climbing an 11m pole with redundancy to prevent unintended release of the climbing robot
- Navigating around cutouts and infrastructure such as overhanging lighting assemblies
- Adapting to variance in smart pole configurations and diameters
- Ensuring traction on smooth surfaces of the Hess Smart Pole
- Developing and testing a drive mechanism capable of omnidirectional movement and reliable performance in all weather conditions
Opportunities:
- Enabling single-person operation for deploying and removing the S2 Smart City Sensor Stack atop 11m Hess Smart Poles from ground level
- Ensuring reliable deployment and replacement of the S2 Smart Cities sensor stack at the pole’s peak
- Improving reliability, safety, simplicity, and achieving significant cost savings
The Results
- Successfully developed the MVP prototype (“Frankenstein the 1st”), demonstrating the feasibility of deploying the S2 to the top of the 11m Hess Smart Pole. The prototype not only highlighted complexities but also provided insights to mitigate and refine the MVP for real-world application. It served as a platform to showcase the key benefits of the concept to stakeholders
- Throughout this process, we meticulously selected and rigorously tested optimal hardware, seamlessly integrating it into the final design. Our approach included 3D printing and precision machining from billet aluminium, followed by comprehensive assembly, refinement, and testing
- This initiative also uncovered potential additional use cases for simplifying ongoing maintenance requirements for Smart Poles
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