LEONARDO
LEONARDO (LEgs ONboARD drOne) is a 75 cm, 2.6 kg bipedal robot from Caltech that combines walking legs with four thrusters so it can walk, fly and do hybrid manoeuvres. It was presented in Science Robotics in October 2021 walking a slackline and riding a skateboard. It is a research platform, not a general purpose humanoid.
We have not sat down with this one. The score below is computed from the data we hold, and the facts on this page are sourced. It is not on sale, so there is nothing to recommend.
How the score is built
Capability is what the machine physically does. Value compares it with others at a similar price, not with the whole market. Buyability asks whether you can really order one. Ecosystem is the software and community around it. Proof is what it has done in the field, which is where most humanoids score badly and should.
What people buy instead.
- Status
- Research
- Category
- research
- First revealed
- October 2021
- Form
- bipedal
- Height
- 75 cm
- Weight
- 2.6 kg
- Payload
- n/a
- Degrees of freedom
- n/a
- Battery
- n/a
- Runtime
- n/a
- Walking speed
- n/a
- Actuation
- electric leg servos plus four electric ducted fan thrusters
- Units deployed (est.)
- not disclosed
- Teleoperation
- partial
Where it stands
Research prototype at Caltech's Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies.
What stands out
- Walks and flies with ducted fan thrusters
- Slackline and skateboard demonstrations
- Published in Science Robotics 2021
Autonomy, observed
Science Robotics paper shows walking a slackline, riding a skateboard and flying between walking segments
Hands, sensors, brain
- Hands: none
- Sensors: IMU, joint encoders
- Compute: onboard flight controller
- AI stack: hybrid walking and flying controller
Price and volume
research prototype
Sources
- 01LEONARDO, the Bipedal Robot, Can Ride a Skateboard and Walk a SlacklineCaltech · 2021-10-06
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