This adolescent-looking android is the first flying humanoid robot — but the internet is creeped out by how it looks.
The Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) recently shared a video that updated curious viewers on the project titled iRonCub MK3’s progress, but the robot’s face seemed to be of special interest to the internet.
“Why does he look so freaky though,” pondered one viewer in a Reddit thread dedicated to the humanoid robot, meanwhile another wrote: “This is very impressive, but by God, what’s with that face? He is staring into my soul.”
“The technology showcased here is great, but why in the f–k does it have to look like a monster baby?” wondered another Redditor.
Some viewers who stumbled across the mechanical creation happened to be especially out-of-the-box thinkers and proposed some wild theories about its appearance.
“When the uprising comes, you’ll be much less likely to shoot a cyborg with a baby face,” theorized one user. “You’ll hesitate that fraction of a second, which is all it needs…”
However human the robot may look, conspiracy theorists don’t need to fret — it’s not controlled by AI. Instead, it’s teleoperated, or in other words, controlled by real people remotely.
The Artificial and Mechanical Intelligence research team within the IIT works almost entirely with robotic humanoid technology — and now has five different robots, according to Live Science.
This particular model is the result of two years of research, testing and development. With the jet pack, the baby robot weighs in at 154 lbs and stands about 3 feet tall.
According to the IIT, the iRonCub MK3 is being developed with “specific applications such as disaster response” in mind.
Typically, these robotic research efforts focus on land-based rescue and exploration, but the institute believes that implementing aerial locomotion skills will increase the utility and efficiency of any such endeavors.
“This research is radically different from traditional humanoid robotics and forced us to make a substantial leap forward with respect to the state of the art,” explained Daniele Pucci, one of the researchers on the team.
While many internet users expressed profound confusion at the robot’s uncanny childlike appearance, it turns out that some of the more humanoid features the iRonCub MK3 possesses have practical purposes.
Functional legs allow the robot to traverse terrain once it arrives via air, and realistic hand and arm capabilities let it open doors, move objects or even interact with things like switches or valves.
Currently, the robot’s arms have been replaced by two jet thrusters, but as the project’s development continues, it will have its functional upper limbs restored.
The iRonCub MK3 has been tested outdoors in a variety of situations, and has also undergone flight testing in a wind tunnel — another first for a robot.
Though the majority of internet users ragged on the robot’s baby face, others saw its charm. “It’s Astroboy!!” one user commented enthusiastically, while another gushed: “Actually, it’s cute.”
No matter where you land on the topic of the android’s appearance, don’t be too mean about it — after all, this unique-looking creation could save your life someday.
