Facebook Connectivity, in cooperation with ULC Robotics, has developed a robot capable of winding optical fibers on medium voltage (MV) power lines that typically serve residential areas across much of world, costing three to five times cheaper than the traditional way of laying fiber.
Karthik Yogeeswaran, a wireless engineer at Facebook Connectivity, told a blog publishing that the idea for the project came after taxiacross Africa and observing the ubiquitous power cable infrastructure, which is far more widespread than the country's total fiber footprint.
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The robot is made to be able to avoid and cross any obstacles it encounters on its way.
Keeping the robot's weight low makes it ideal for handling a medium voltage line, which was a major challenge for manufacturers as it would limit the amount of fiber it could carry.
To be able to navigate obstacles, the robot can raise its middle section containing the fiber systems and rotate. Once it passes the obstacle it lowers its middle section to continue winding. The robot has one system vision to detect obstacles and adjust its movements.
"By reducing the overall cost of deploying aerial fiber, we expect our system to have a significant impact on the availability of Internet, especially in countries where workers earn less than $5,50 a day."
