The team at the Artificial and Mechanical Intelligence group at the Italian Institute of Technology has been retrofitting the iCub, a small bipedal robot designed for AI testing, into something reminiscent of Iron Man. The new iRonCub3 has been given a twin-jet pack as well as JetCats for hands, giving it a maximum thrust of 1,000 N (around 225 lbf) that will allow it to fly.
While it hasn’t achieved liftoff just yet, the iRonCub3 has been successfully tested in a wind tunnel and the team expects it to be able to hover soon. Flight control algorithms and a trajectory planner that has been evaluated in simulations will guide its flight once it does take off.
The goal is for the robot to be able to fly to a disaster or emergency site and perform aerial inspections, or land in a dangerous environment to gather data for remote operators. It could also help provide aid to people onsite before human first responders arrive.
This story originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Government Technology magazine. Click here to view the full digital edition online.
