Robert the Robot
1955
Robert the Robot with box packaging and gun-shaped controller
- Made:
- 1955 in United States
This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
License
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Robert the Robot with box packaging and gun-shaped controller, manufactured by Ideal Home Electrical Appliances Ltd., USA, 1955
Robert the Robot was the first plastic toy robot to be manufactured in the USA. It was made using injection moulding, making it cheaper than earlier metal robots, and produced in large quantities/ the robot was extremely popular, with a remote control that allowed it to speak, and battery-powered lights in the eyes. Robert was being marketed in advance of the application of robots to manufacturing applications, demonstrating the capability of science fiction to pre-empt developments in the real world of science and technology - a recurring tenet of the history of robots.
Details
- Category:
- Human Robotics
- Object Number:
- 2015-403
- Materials:
- plastic (unidentified), metal (unknown) and cardboard
- type:
- robot, toy - recreational artefact, box - container and components
- credit:
- Purchased from Timea Vincze
