Homes, businesses, and more depend on a reliable and resilient electric grid. The connections between cables can be improperly spliced, leading to system stress and power outages. Highly trained operatives typically have to make hazardous manual repairs, noted ULC Technologies LLC.

The Hauppauge, N.Y.-based unit of SPX Technologies Inc. and Con Edison Company of New York have developed a system that automates the termination of medium-voltage cables. Version 3 of ULC’s Cable Splicing Machine brought the technology out of the proof-of-concept stage into a prototype to be tested in real-world conditions.

The Cable Splicing Machine can perform complex operations in underground vaults. It consists of several independent subsystems controlled by a centralized computer and a user interface.

The system can be secured onto the middle of an uncut cable and uses electrical actuators for precise motion control along the axial and circumferential directions. This enables continuous 360-degree operation, said ULC and Consolidated Edison Inc.

The Cable Splicing Machine includes numerous tools capable of stripping back each layer of the cable to a desired dimension using precision tool-depth controls. ULC said it has updated tooling to improve robustness and adaptability so different types of cables can be addressed even faster than before.

Several auxiliary subsystems can carry out additional steps such as shorting and cutting the cable. This, in combination with live camera feeds, allows an operator to monitor and verify the process from beginning to end from outside the manhole with no direct human intervention.

ULC said its technology can improve utility worker safety and shorten feeder outage duration. This reduction in complexity puts less stress on the power grid, which particularly helpful when adverse weather puts stress on other components. The company offers its systems through a robots-as-a-service (RaaS) model.

Explore the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024.