Wired picks the 50 best bots of all time
By Evan Blass 
posted December 28th 2005 6:00PM
posted December 28th 2005 6:00PM
So we nearly suffered a life-threatening paper cut
in our rush to tear open Wired's January issue (or 14.01 in Wired-math) after we peeped good old Albert Hubo on the cover as posterboy for a story on "The 50
Best Bots Ever." While we disagree with Wired's methodology (we think including movie bots was a cop-out; HAL is
little more than a freakin' lightbulb, guys), the list nonetheless gave us all sorts of happy memories, from playing
with Optimus Prime and friends to watching AIBO fetch his pink
ball over and over again to purposely spilling stuff on the floor just so we could watch our Roomba in action. The title of Top Bot, unsurprisingly, goes to one
of the most sophisticated autonomous machines of all time, Stanford's DARPA challenge-winning VW Toureg named
Stanley. Most conspicuous omission? Apparently Wired's got no love for a little fellow we know as Johnny Five.
Regarding Stanley, the DARPA Grand Challenge winner, it is an impressive real robot, not a fictional character. Anyone who thinks that GPS waypoints made it easy doesn't understand the race, the GPS waypoints defined the course but it took lots of testing to develop a vehicle that could acutally endure the course. Standford went through several "Stanleys" during testing in the desert.
no R. Daneel Olivaw?! the most famous Asimov robot ever. the only robot with the Zeroth law, allowing him to bypass the three laws of robotics if it allowed him to save help people. robot #1!
You're right - the Wired methodology in selecting the "50 Best" robots is really questionable, http://www.robots-dreams.com/2005/12/the_50_best_rob.html . The article gives the appearance of being a last minute space filler to complement Stanley the Stanford robot vehicle. Nevertheless, it should generate more interest and fascination with robots in general. But to leave out Johnny Five! An unforgivable omission on the part of Wired!
they forgot MEGAMAN, of all fictional robots, they pick astroboy over megaman
No Robocop? I understand he was technically a cyborg, but that didn't keep other cyborgs off the list (e.g., the Tin Man). And if Robo doesn't qualify since he's basically a human (head) with a robotic body, at least give an honorable mention to ED-209. So what if its software was buggy and its stop-motion action was less than convincing? The Enforcement Droid 209 was awesome!
A best robot lists without Gundam is just not right. It has been an icon for ages...
Does anyone remember 2XL? The little robot would ask you questions, and you would then press one of its buttons to give the right answer.
True, it was essentially a gussied-up 8-track tape player, but it was my first "robot," and I'll never forget him.
I can't believe they managed to find the absolute worst reincarnation of Optimus Prime imaginable.
I think im disgusted at the use of the newer Optimus Prime for a picture...instead of the one everyone who has fond memories of looks at(really kids these days and Transformers is not the same, nor does it have the following it did back in the earlly 90s and 80s).
also I agree with tempusmaster, missing Johnny Five completelly...
Wired obvouslly did not do good research....and the Tin Man is not a robot in my book....
Tom Servo and Crow T Robot?
This list is a joke. Robonaut is one of the most advanced robots currently in development, yet it is number 50 to be beaton by the likes of Iron Giant... Come on Wired this is sad. The Darpa winner isn't much of a robot either, especially since they were given a GPS point every 600m or so.
I've seen bad lists before, but damn this list is baaaaad. Only one Transformer? Half the list would be transformers! No Gundams, wow. No Gaogaigar, no Mazinger, no Big O.
And the ultimate offense. No Voltron.
wtf are they thinking?
What about the T-1000 and the girl Terminator?
-- Elias
I agree with #9 MST3K robots were/ are unbeatable! I can only dream of a future with wiseass robots like those two. What about Marvin?
What about V.I.N.Cent and B.O.B. and Maximillian from Disneys: The Balck Hole? Whirring blades people!
Well hey, it wasn't as bad of an article as the 50 sexiest geeks. C'mon, those are the ugliest 50 people I've ever seen in my life!!! Smart does NOT equal sexy folks.
OK, on to robots.... I think I must be the old guy around here because I grew up on Micronauts and Shogun Warriors.
But the coolest robot ever was Johnny Socko's Giant Robot. I mean how cool would it be to have your very own 100 foot tall robot that can throw a power punch and shoot missiles from his fingertips???
Where is Johnny 5? He(It) had 2 movies and a Lazer...A LAZER!!!
No Teddy Ruxpin??
No Gundam etc because they are MECHA - i.e. they requires pilot. All the bots listed have a certain degree of autonomous.
Where's Number 5 from Short Circuit? C'mon, guys!
Omitting Kryten invalidates the entire list.
http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/
Omitting Kryten invalidates the entire list.
http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/
Wired's list can bite my shiny metal ass!
Would Max Headroom be considered a robot?
What about a Furby?
and Bender from Futurama?
Metal...Gear!?
Rex and the ninja should be on that list.
Good work! As many have noted, the overview has many worthy candidates left out. "Gemini," developed by Arctec Systems in the mid eighties, was a high water mark for level of autonomy and automatic, self navigation until just the last few years.
Perhaps "Wired" will revisit this area soon since http://www.iRobot.com did an IPO a month or so ago. It is up 30-35% since day one.
In Japan and most of the Pacific Rim, "service robots" are well accepted to be the "next big thing.
What a load of crap. 50 best robots of all time (including fictional ones) and they leave off K-9, the Doctor's robot dog?
What a scifi barbarian one has to be to not know about K-9 when coming up with one of these lists. I'd cancel my Wired subscription if I had one...
"What about V.I.N.Cent and B.O.B. and Maximillian from Disneys: The Balck Hole? Whirring blades people!"
Damn, beat me to it! Anyway, here's a photo:
http://www.bugeyedmonster.com/toys/blackhole/blackhole/blowup/magnosall.jpg