Air ducts are a promising but challenging domain for drones. Credit: npj Robotics (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44182-025-00032-5 New research published in npj Robotics addresses the challenge of flying small quadrotors in air ducts as small as 35 cm (14 inches). This research, led by a team of researchers from Inria, CNRS, Université de Lorraine, and Aix-Marseille Université, opens a new way of accessing and inspecting highly-confined environments. Air ducts are