THIS is the moment a humanoid robot air steward greets passengers on board a packed flight in Russia in an eerie world first.
The machine, named Volodya, welcomes passengers on board the flight and imitates cabin crew during the safety demo in a creepy glimpse of the future.
Robot mimics the cabin crew’s safety demo
Robot Volodya takes a window seat during the flight
Cabin crew pose for selfie with the robot during the flight
Russian aviation company Pobeda, which made the robot, debuted its creation on a flight from Ulyanovsk to Moscow.
After take-off, the walked through the cabin and shook hands with passengers and crew before taking its own window seat on the plane.
Volodya did not serve food and beverages like the cabin crew usually does.
The robot resembles a Unitree G1 model – although the airline has not officially confirmed this – which is highly flexible and powered by imitation and reinforcement learning. This means that its robotic systems are continuously developed through artificial intelligence (AI).
In the video, the robot can be seen mimicking the actions of a cabin crew member, displaying the use of reinforcement learning technology.
Passengers showed a keen interest in the robot, with children and adults clicking pictures with the humanoid after the flight landed.
But another clip of the phenomenon, posted on Instagram, sparked concerns.
Some users suggested the flight attendant was training her “replacement”, raising fears about humanoid robots affecting jobs in the aviation industry.
Another user said the use of the humanoid was pointless, commenting that it was “trying to solve a problem that does not exist”.
One user queried what could happen if the robot “opened the airplane door” while on the flight, highlighting the underlying problem attendants could face if the robot went out of control.
Whilst Pobeda’s robot air steward may be a world first, other airlines are already working on automating this part of the industry.
In March 2024, Qatar Airways unveiled a set of humanoid robots dressed as flight attendants.
The entire crew is equipped with conversational AI, capable of answering human questions and performing a wide range of tasks.
Humanoid robots are also becoming popular in the manufacturing front of aviation.
In June, Hyundai Motors and Kia unveiled the X-ble Shoulder, a wearable robot designed for assembly and maintenance purposes.
But, a number of companies are running into difficulties with their robots with some humiliating malfunctions.
Just last week AIdol – – collapsed in a heap during its official presentation in Moscow.
Hilarious footage shows the machine wobbling onto the stage with the triumphant Rocky Theme blaring in the background.
Then AIdol falls flat on its face, as the two operators scramble to pick it up off the floor as another tries to hide the embarrassing scene with a black sheet.
Idol CEO Vladimir Vitukhin blamed the fall on calibration issues, saying that the robot remained in its test phase.
Robot Volodya boards the plane in Russia 
