## 1 Introduction  
The power grid is one of the most extended and critical infrastructures in any country, comprising thousands of kilometers of power lines that require periodic inspection and maintenance (I&M) to ensure continuous service, despite the diverse factors that may affect correct operation. Adverse climatic conditions (i.e., rain, wind, snow), vegetation growth, and the impact on the bird species in the environment are some typical problems faced by companies responsible for its management and maintenance, involving a significant economic investment due to the vast extension of this infrastructure. Not only that, but the high altitude (15-50 m) and high voltage (15-500 kV) of the power lines make them a highly risky workspace for human operators, who must follow strict safety protocols [1] and use special clothes [2], which reduce the effective operation time and the feeling of comfort in the realization of manipulation tasks. The installation of devices, such as bird flight diverters or electrical spacers, such as those shown in Figure 1, is an illustrative example of an operation that requires the transportation and deployment of the worker on power lines. As indicated in [1], different methods and tools can be considered for positioning the personnel on the points of interest, including non-conductive ropes, bucket trucks, or manned helicopters. The development of aerial manipulation robots in the last decade [3, 4, 5] has been motivated by the ability of these platforms to easily and quickly reach high altitude work spaces and conduct diverse operations involving physical interaction with the environment,demonstrating their application in contact-based inspection in chemical plants [6] and bridges [7], the installation of sensor devices [8; 9], valve turning [10] and other torsional operations [11]. In this sense, the use of aerial manipulation robots are particularly useful to install devices, such as the ones shown in Figure 1, avoiding risk for human operators while reducing the time required to reach the points of interest. However, some new challenges arise. First, the electrical interaction between the high voltage power line and the aerial robot, considered a floating conductor [12], should be investigated to avoid possible malfunctions due to electrostatic discharge [13] or magnetic noise. Second, the risk of collision of the aerial robot with the transmission line conductors, especially outdoors, where the wind gusts may be significant, makes convenient the use of long-reach [8] or cable-suspended [14; 15] configurations to increase the separation distance between the manipulator and the aerial platform. Third, the manipulator should provide a sufficient level of dexterity and force to install the mentioned devices, taking into account that these are intended for human operators. This paper proposes the application of aerial manipulation robots for the installation of bird flight diverters and electrical spacers on power lines, presenting the preliminary designs and results derived from the first year of the AERIAL-CORE (AERIAL COgnitive integrated multi-task Robotic system with Extended operation range and safety) H2020 project [16]. The paper describes the technological solutions under development, including prototypes of arms and end effectors, methods for safe and accurate aerial manipulation, and augmented human-machine interfaces. The paper analyzes first the requirements and functionalities of the system from an illustrative scenario, identifying later the effects of the high voltage/current of the power line on the aerial robot. The paper aims to provide a wider perspective of the problem and the possible solutions, considering the different approaches followed by the authors. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 introduces the current procedures in the inspection and maintenance of power lines with a focus on the installation of devices based on the requirements and functionalities.