Powering grid resilience

With its patent-pending Osprey NPS, Linebird uses unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to make direct-contact with live power lines.

Multinational Utility Patent Pending

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Enables direct-contact live-line work on critical infrastructure

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Removes logistical, budget and personnel barriers to power grid reliability

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Accelerates utilities' data collection capabilities for grid maintenance and monitoring

“From the perspective of more than 40 years as a Transmission Standards Engineer, Reliability Leader, R&D Project Manager and Engineering Consultant, where I long ago qualified and used the Ohmstik on the FPL Transmission system, I recognize the following key benefits that electric utilities, the public, and the PUC’s will realize from Linebird’s method:
  • Increased safety of power lines: Reduction of hazards to the public, linemen, and liability.
  • Reliability and resiliency: Preventing customer outages and fault current damage to expensive capital equipment such as circuit breakers and transformers.
  • Quantifiable of risk of failure: Facilitates planned mitigation instead of ‘get a crew out there and put it back up!'”

Joe Renowden, P.E.

“I would say that if a UAV could make this measurement reliably, it would surely replace situations where helicopters currently make this measurement manned from both a safety and cost perspective.”

Steve Eisenrauch, Dominion Energy

“Approaching an energized line is dangerous and requires a high-level understanding of safety requirements and practices for an individual to approach it. This has contributed to a limited adoption rate of using the Ohmstik since its inception. Linebird’s approach puts the power to make decisions faster on the utility itself versus waiting for a third party to be involved. The time saved could possibly save the utility from a catastrophic failure.” 

Gary Hielkema, President, SensorLink Corporation

“A safer and more economical deployment of resistance measurement, like what you’ve envisioned with your prototype unmanned system, is just what this market has been waiting for.”

Carl Tamm, President, Classic Connectors