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Jetpack-strapping rescue robot achieves stable lift and hover
For the last few years, Italian engineers have been working on a humanoid robot for emergency response applications. The iRonCub3 has jets on its back and fire-breathers on its arms, and has now achieved stable take-off and hover for the first time.
The project from the Artificial and Mechanical Intelligence group at the Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) has taken a child-like biped designed for AI research – the iCub – and aims to get it off the ground using jet power. "While the original versions were used to develop and test components in isolation – such as jetpack design, estimation algorithms, or aerodynamic learning – iRonCub3 is the first complete system to integrate all those elements into a fully functional flight-capable humanoid robot." "Our models include neural networks trained on simulated and experimental data and are integrated into the robot’s control architecture to guarantee stable flight," revealed the team's Antonello Paolino, first author of a paper on the recent developments.
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