World’s First Jetpack-Powered Humanoid Robot Takes Flight – iRonCub MK3 Breakthrough!

Say hello to iRonCub MK3 — a baby-faced humanoid robot that’s just taken its first flight, quite literally. Thanks to four jet thrusters, this little 3-foot-tall, 22-kilo robot has become the first humanoid to achieve vertical liftoff.

Two thrusters are mounted where its arms should be, and two sit in a custom-built jetpack on its back. In a recent test, it hovered 20 inches off the ground — not exactly orbit, but definitely a lift-off worth noting.

Designed by the Italian Institute of Technology, iRonCub isn’t just about flashy flights. This platform could one day be used for search and rescue, helping navigate collapsed buildings or hazardous areas no human can safely reach.

To get here, engineers reinforced the robot’s spine, added heat-resistant panels (after a few too many melted prototypes), and built a smart flight control system to keep it balanced — no upside-down takeoffs, thankfully.

This is just the beginning. A humanoid robot that flies and interacts with the world? It might sound like science fiction, but it’s fast becoming science fact.

And that’s your robot news update for today!
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