August 25, 2004

Elektro the robot was created by Westinghouse to impress visitors at the 1939 World's Fair. He lost his head for a while, but now he's back. (via robots.net )

Elektro, aka the Moto-Man, could walk, talk, smoked heavily, and had a robot dog named Sparko. It's not true that he was crushed in 1950, but his head was rudely given away as a prize at a retirement party (not even his own). The head and body have now been reunited by Jack Weeks, who is restoring the robot. Elektro will be publicly exhibited once again during September.

posted by Plegmund 20 years ago
  • I certainly like the pictures, and Elektro's real story is interesting when you finally dig down to it, but the fictionalized accounts at the first two sites are pretty annoying. I find myself wanting to know more.
  • I take your point, Nickdanger - I realised after posting that the last link should probably have been the main one. My apologies for any excess facetiousness which may be experienced.
  • Doesn't look like the same torso, or feet.
  • One set of pictures on the Jack Weeks site (immediately after his own photographs) don't appear to be of Elektro at all - in fact I suspect they show a man in a costume.
  • Bellows for smoking? Worst robot accessory ever. Or possibly best, if the cigarrettes in question are Chesterfields, the #1 robo-doctor recommended brand that stimulates the robo-T-zone.
  • Old robots.