A research team has recently started exploring the possibility of humanoid robots that can fly. They need systems that can correctly measure the intensity of the thrust produced by propellers. This would allow them to build humanoids that move through the air to efficiently regulate the movements of flying robots, objects, or vehicles. Thrust forces are mainly challenging to detect directly, thus are typically calculated using data from onboard sensors. However, the method is inefficient and expensive.
A team has developed a new framework to overcome this problem. It can estimate the thrust intensities of flying multibody systems without thrust-measuring devices. It could immensely benefit the Humanoid Robot Market as it could potentially help the world fulfill its vision of a flying humanoid robot.
The researchers' thrust estimation framework simplifies the design of their flying robot. It lowers the cost of fabrication because it eliminates the need for force sensors to be installed on each robot's jet engine. The framework incorporates two separate sources of information into a single estimation procedure rather than estimating thrust using force sensor data.
They tested their framework on a newly designed robot called iRonCub, an upgrade of the iCub robot with integrated jet engines, to see how effective it was. Even though the team has been working on this robot for quite some time, they have only lately displayed its whole set of capabilities.
While the thrust estimation methodology has only been tested on the researchers' humanoid robot iRonCub, it might be adapted to other flying robots with varied body configurations. Reconfigurable flying robots fall into this category, as systems can alter shape or structure to do specific tasks.
In any event, the difficulty of calculating thrust forces is critical to a successful flight. Furthermore, the team believe that their work may be used to simpler designs than flying humanoid robots, such as jet-powered flying boxes, in addition to the futuristic application of flying humanoid robots in disaster-like scenarios.
The thrust estimation methodology established by the researchers could open up new prospects for the transportation of various products in remote regions, including food and pharmaceutical treatments, if it is used to jet-powered flying boxes.
At last, the team stated that they would continue to work on iRonCub, emphasizing its flight skills. They hope to demonstrate the first reliable and high-performing humanoid robot capable of both terrestrial and airborne mobility at some point in the future.