Flying Humanoid Robots

It has been a number of years since a group of researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) began working on the construction of flying humanoid robotic vehicles.

For many years, researchers have been looking into the development of robots that can do a variety of tasks in place of people. All robots that have been developed to date have a range of motion that is limited to the surface of the ground on which they are standing, just like humans. Since 2016, Dr. Daniele Pucci, a professor at IIT, and his colleagues have been working on the development of flying humanoid robotic vehicles.

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In order to develop robots that could be useful in the event of a natural disaster, according to Pucci, they launched research on flying humanoid robots. During today's natural disasters, technology is being used to help people. Although the creation of robots that can fly to places humans cannot, crawl through ruins, put out fires, turn off electrical switches or gas valves, lift debris, and utilize tools could make a significant difference in the response to natural disasters is still a long way off.

A range of functions may already be performed by humanoid robots with their hands and arms, including as walking and carrying objects. In order to achieve this goal, giving humanoid robots the ability to fly is the most difficult aspect of the process thus far.

In order to correctly control the movements of any flying item, the thrust produced by the motors/propellers that power the gadget can be measured with high precision. To present, the majority of the research on flying humanoid robots has been focused on this one aspect of the technology.

It is difficult to determine the impulse's exact location. Predictions are typically made based on data acquired by a large number of different sensors. A new way to measuring engine thrust has been developed that does not rely on the usage of sensors to do so. Using the new technology, which includes data from two different sources, designers can simplify their designs while simultaneously cutting their production costs.

In the established approach, the initial source of information is provided by the commands supplied to the jet engines themselves. Before anything else, the scientists built a facility where they could keep track of the consequences of the directions they sent to the jet engines. Their next step was to develop a model using the information.

As a result, a system that exclusively relies on the commands sent to the engine will be insufficient to operate the humanoid robot in the air. Because the response time of an engine changes significantly depending on the environment, You'll need a second source of information in order to overcome this challenge. It is also used to design a system that allows the robot's movements in the air to be more precisely regulated based on information about its center of mass momentum.

The researchers were successful in putting their approach through its paces on a four-jet robot that they designed. Due to the high temperature and high speed of the jet engines' air flow, which reached 700 degrees Celsius and 1,800 kilometers per hour, specific safety precautions were required.

More study is needed before flying humanoid robots can play an important role in everyday life. The researchers want to initially release the robot they developed and enable it to work without the need for any external attachments or controls. As part of the project, researchers are looking into how to incorporate fluid dynamics models into the robot's flight control systems. In addition, the researchers hope to apply artificial intelligence to improve the propulsion control system that they have designed themselves.

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References:

• https://techxplore.com/news/2021-12-humanoid-robot.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanoid_robot