Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Renovating the wheel

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, best, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: Browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

User:
Pass:

or Create a new account.


            Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.

Power Line Care
Robots to clean the ice off of power lines
  (+3)
(+3) 		  [vote for,
against]


Ice has caused major power outages because they bulk up on power lines and the weight is too much for them. A simple ski-lift type robot could go back and forth on a power line and chip at the ice. No steering needed, maybe some mechanical genius to navigate amongst ceramic insulators and whatnot.

I admit that I don't really know anything about snow and ice (I think 60 is too cold for me). Here in sunny Hawaii we got no snow.

twitch, Nov 30 2006


Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee

Destination URL. E.g., http://www.coffee.com/

Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)







       Would that work? Why don't they do that?
twitch, Dec 03 2006
   

       //I think 60 is too cold for me//   

       You poor soul... it got down to 12 degrees last night.
21 Quest, Dec 03 2006
   

       I could see this working very well if the little shuttle was powered by the energy wasted radiating from the lines themselves, and perhaps it could just heat up melting the ice as it travels. I think that this would use less energy and minimize chances of damage to the cables. (+)   

       Oh yeah...and it's hovering at about minus twelve around here right now.   

       I should be lucky i'm not there. .. or wherever it's fffreezzzing right now. But then. i've always wanted to play in the snow.   

       I believe that my idea would consume less energy then trying to heat up all the wires. We don't have to melt all the ice off, just crack it, jolt it, knock it off.
twitch, Dec 04 2006
   


 
back: main index
 business 
 computer 
 culture 
 fashion 
 food 
 halfbakery 
 home 
 other 
 product 
 public 
 science 
 sport 
 vehicle