In late 2025, researchers at Italy’s IIT (Italian Institute of Technology) achieved a breakthrough: iRonCub3, a humanoid robot equipped with four mini jet engines, successfully lifted off about 50 cm off the ground for several seconds. This marks the first time a robot in the iRonCub line has demonstrated stable flight, moving years of speculation into tangible reality.
What Happened—and Why It Matters
The iRonCub project, started in 2017 by the Artificial and Mechanical Intelligence Lab at IIT, aims to build a humanoid robot that can both fly and walk, combining the advantages of aerial mobility and ground dexterity. The recent flight test showed that the robot can control itself using its arms and jet thrust adjustments even under difficult aerodynamic conditions and extreme exhaust heat (up to 800 °C, near supersonic speeds).
In emergencies — floods, fires, broken infrastructure — a robot like iRonCub could function as a Non-Human Worker: it could fly over obstacles, land, then walk and manipulate objects (open doors, move rubble). The control algorithms and aerodynamic modeling developed for iRonCub are already having spin-off benefits: they can be applied to other Voice AI Agents, drones, or eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, improving thrust estimation and aerodynamic compensation in diverse robotic systems.
Challenges & Next Steps
Developing a hybrid flying-walking robot is no trivial feat. The team had to ensure the robot could maintain balance while jets were adjusting thrust, compensate for aerodynamic forces, and avoid damage from its own exhaust. Their recent publication in Nature Engineering Communications outlines how they integrate classical control methods with learning-based approaches to model these complex forces.
Going forward, the lab plans to refine yaw control via additional actuators, experiment with wings for more energy-efficient travel, and escalate flight tests beyond their rooftop facility—possibly in coordination with Genoa’s airport. Meanwhile, the project also serves as a kind of flagship: working on something so novel helps attract talent, enthusiasm, and attention to robotics.
Key Highlights:
- In 2025, iRonCub3 achieved its first stable flight (≈50 cm off ground).
- Combines aerial capability with humanoid form: fly, land, walk, manipulate.
- Handles extreme conditions — heat (800 °C), aerodynamic complexity, thrust control.
- Algorithms developed have broader applicability (drones, eVTOL, industrial robots).
- Future goals: better yaw control, winged flight, larger test environments.
Reference:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/amp/ironcub-jet-powered-flying-robot-2674066630
