Prysmian Cables & Systems USA, with its partners Consolidated Edison and Exelon, is developing a hands-free medium voltage underground power cable splicing machine to dramatically improve workforce safety and increase distribution grid reliability, by reducing the time crews spend in underground vaults and by reducing splicing-caused medium-voltage network failures from 60-80% to less than 5%. The proposed machine - which fits down a utility hole and is operated from above ground - would implement laser cutting and layer preparation, abrade cable layers, and complete the splice while a vision system augmented with machine learning would aid operators in maintaining quality control.

Session sponsored by Prysmian