The 12 robots you can vote into the Robot Hall of Fame
Started in 2003 by Carnegie Mellon University (an institution that's no slouch in the world of robotics), the Robot Hall of Fame considers robots from fiction and reality, and includes names such as Honda's seminal ASIMO, Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, C-3PO and R2-D2, HAL 9000, Unimate (considered to be the first industrial robot) and more. 18 robots are currently honored by RHoF, and now CMU wants to add four more, pulling from a group of a dozen 'bots sorted into four categories.
In our gallery below, we've collected all the nominees up for the honor. Want to vote? Find all the pertinent data right here, meatform.
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1. NASA Robonaut Developed by NASA and General Motors, Robonaut 2, if nominated, won't be able to pick up its trophy. That's because the 'bot is currently in space, working with astronauts on the International Space Station. Not only could Robonaut help explore the great beyond with human-like abilities, the astro-bot can be remotely controlled by human operators, too. Category: Research
2. WALL-E Pixar's lovable little trash-collector needs no introduction. WALL-E may only communicate by crooning its own designation, but that was more than enough for this leading robot to capture our hearts from the big screen. Category: Entertainment
3. Boston Dynamics BigDog Boston Dynamics' quadrupedal BigDog likes going for strolls on the beach, carrying tons of stuff and generally looking freaky whenever it moves around. The BigDog platform, which debuted in '05, has since spawned two other 'bots: LittleDog and AlphaDog Category: Research
4. Rosie from The Jetsons Rosie the Robot remains one of pop culture's most idealistic takes on where the technology is going. Rosie is a consummate nanny-bot, taking care of the Jetson household and its residents. Rosie also acts very human, with a grumpy, fussy demeanor. If the cartoon, which first aired in 1962 and then again in the '80s, was still around, one has to wonder if Rosie could still be cast as only a maid, or if that would be demeaning to robot with such a range of emotion. Category: Entertainment
5. iRobot Create Create is iRobot's Roomba-like platform for students, tinkerers and fellow roboticists to dig into the flagship 'bot's guts. The Create platform starts at $130, and can be augmented with remote control, virtual walls, the ability to charge autonomously and more. Here we see it with a handy back-mounted arm, perfect for picking up socks. Category: Education & Consumer
7. Kiva Warehouse Automation System Remember these little guys? Amazon bought Kiva Systems for a cool $775 million, with an aim to integrate the technology into the company's fast-working warehouses. Kiva 'bots are an example of deferential automation — Kiva's robots work efficiently within an environment designed for humans. A fully robotic warehouse wouldn't need to be designed with the same concerns. Category: Industrial & Service
8. Johnny 5 from Short Circuit Johnny 5 was the WALL-E of 1986 (or, if you like, WALL-E is 2005's Johnny 5). Starring in Short Circuit (and its sequel), Johnny 5 showed the world robots could be lovable and funny after a time when the likes of HAL 9000, Forbidden Planet's Robby the Robot and, y'know, terminators all gave meatbags reason to question machine motives. Category: Entertainment
9. iRobot PackBot Yep, the folks who make the Roomba also make military robots. The PackBot isn't carrying a gun into the fray (though, really, it could), but has seen its fair share of battle. The PackBot can fulfill a variety of roles, from peeking into uncharted territory to helping disable improvised explosives. Category: Industrial & Service
10. WHOI Jason "Jason" is a venerable robot, having explored the depths of the world's oceans since 1988. Operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Jason is remotely operated by tether, and allows researchers to dive down toward everything from hydrothermal vents to the wreck of the Bismarck, a German battleship from World War II. A smaller version of Jason was used to check out the Titanic. Category: Industrial & Service
11. Aldebaran Nao You've probably seen the Nao before, playing soccer (or dancing). The robot, which hails from France's Aldebaran Robotics, is a favorite of hobbyists as its bipedal and fully programmable. It's commonly used to compete in RoboCup events. Category: Education & Consumer
12. VEX Robotics Design System The VEX Robotics Design System may not look like much, but if you want to learn about robotics its a fine place to start. A kit like VEX allows a budding roboticist to learn about assembly, programming and, if desired, tinkering all in one platform. VEX's kits aren't cheap like toys, however. They cost several hundreds of dollars and are designed to be functional, realized robots. Category: Education & Consumer
6. Willow Garage PR2 Willow Garage's PR2 could very well lead to a game-changing development in robotics one day. Not only is the company working on a Robot Operating System that would create a baseline for robotics and cut down on a lot of redundant development, the PR2 platform has shown great promise as a Rosie-like companion, with the ability to navigate indoor environments and use its gripper arm to interact with objects. Read: PR2 may one day help fold your laundry and fetch you a beer. Category: Research
