KAIST professor Shim Hyun-chul's team develops humanoid pilot robot 'Pibot'; paper wins best paper award from IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine

Pibot operates the instrument panel and control stick aboard an actual aircraft, the KLA-100. [Courtesy of KAIST]
Pibot operates the instrument panel and control stick aboard an actual aircraft, the KLA-100. [Courtesy of KAIST]
Pibot aboard the KLA-100, South Korea's first light aircraft. [Courtesy of KAIST]
Pibot aboard the KLA-100, South Korea's first light aircraft. [Courtesy of KAIST]

A robot pilot with flying skills to rival the legendary aviator portrayed by Tom Cruise in "Top Gun: Maverick" has made its world debut.

KAIST announced Friday that a paper proposing an autonomous aircraft control framework based on the humanoid pilot robot "Pibot," developed by a research team led by Professor Shim Hyun-chul of the Department of Electrical Engineering, has been selected as the best paper by IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine (IEEE RAM).

Shim's team was selected in 2021 for a future-challenge defense technology research and development project by the Agency for Defense Development, receiving about 5.7 billion won (about $3.73 million) in funding. The research earned high marks for achieving an advanced level of physical AI technology that enables a humanoid robot to go beyond simple walking or carrying objects and perform complex tasks — such as piloting an aircraft — in a systematic and adaptive manner powered by AI.

Humanoid robot technology has been advancing rapidly in terms of physical performance, including acrobatic moves and complex motion execution. In the industrial sector, however, practical applicability on the factory floor has drawn growing attention as an even more critical factor.

Pibot is designed to go beyond simple repetitive tasks or logistics handling, acquiring the specialized knowledge needed to operate an aircraft and recognizing and responding to real flight conditions in real time. The robot has been credited with charting a new direction for humanoid robot technology under the concept of "Expert Physical AI."

Pibot operates an aircraft's control stick. [Courtesy of KAIST]
Pibot operates an aircraft's control stick. [Courtesy of KAIST]

Unlike human pilots, Pibot can memorize all aviation charts worldwide and fly without error. It also uses ChatGPT technology to retain aircraft operation manuals and emergency procedures, enabling immediate responses to in-flight situations. By calculating safe flight paths in real time based on the aircraft's current state, the robot can react to emergencies far faster than a human pilot.

The research team successfully completed the first phase of the project after launching it in 2021, and since 2024 has been developing a second-phase pilot robot with a physique and joint structure closer to that of a human, better suited for operating actual aircraft. The team is also pursuing collaborative research with relevant organizations to expand the technology beyond aircraft to ground vehicles, ships and other types of manned vehicles.

"The humanoid pilot robot works by sitting in the existing cockpit seat and directly operating the various controls, which means existing aircraft require no modification whatsoever," Professor Shim said. "It could also be extended beyond vehicles with cockpits — such as cars, ships and heavy equipment — to environments where humans operate systems according to set procedures, including factory facilities, nuclear power plants and control panels."


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