The Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) has reached a milestone in humanoid robotics by demonstrating the first flight of iRonCub3, the world’s first jet-powered flying humanoid robot specifically designed to operate in real-world environments. The research team studied the complex aerodynamics of the artificial body and developed an advanced control model for systems composed of several interconnected parts. The overall work on iRonCub3, including real flight tests, took about two years. In the latest experiments, the robot was able to lift off the floor by approximately 50 cm while maintaining its stability. The achievement paves the way for a new generation of flying robots capable of operating in complex environments while maintaining a human-like structure. The aerodynamics and control studies have been described in a paper published in Communications Engineering. The research was carried out by roboticists of IIT in Genoa, Italy, in collaboration with the group of Alex Zanotti at DAER Aerodynamics Laboratory of Polytechnic of Milan—where a comprehensive series of wind tunnel tests were performed—and the group of Gianluca Iaccarino at Stanford University—where deep learning algorithms were used to identify aerodynamic models.

Full report : Italian researched demonstrate, iRonCub3, a humanoid robot which controlled flight using jet engines and AI-powered systems.