List of fictional robots and androids

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"Maria" from the 1927 movie "Metropolis". Statue in Babelsberg, Germany.

Robots and androids have frequently been depicted or described in works of fiction. The word "robot" itself comes from a work of fiction, Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) written in 1920 and first performed in 1921.

This list of fictional robots and androids is a chronological list, categorised by medium. It includes all depictions of robots, androids and gynoids in literature, television, and cinema; however, robots that have appeared in more than one form of media are not necessarily listed in each of those media. This list is intended for all fictional computers which are described as existing in a humanlike or mobile form. It shows how the concept has developed in the human imagination through history.

Static computers depicted in fiction are discussed in the separate list of fictional computers.

Theatre

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  • Coppélia, a life-size dancing doll in the ballet of the same name, choreographed by Marius Petipa with music by Léo Delibes (1870)
  • The word "robot" comes from Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) written in 1920 in the Czech language and first performed 1921. Performed in New York 1922 and an English edition published in 1923. In the play, the word refers to artificially created life forms.[1] Named robots in the play are: Marius; Sulla; Radius; Primus; Helena; and Damon. It introduced and popularized the term "robot". Čapek's robots are biological machines that are assembled, as opposed to grown or born.

Literature

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19th century and earlier

Early 1900s

  • The "Metal Men" automata designed by a Thomas Edison-like scientist in Gustave Le Rouge's La Conspiration des Milliardaires (1899–1900)
  • Tik-Tok in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, premiering in Ozma of Oz (1907), and in the movie Return to Oz, largely based on Ozma of Oz
  • A robot chess-player in Moxon's Master by Ambrose Bierce (first published in San Francisco Examiner on Aug. 16, 1899)
  • In Gaston Leroux's La Poupée Sanglante ("The Bloody Doll") and La Machine à Assassiner ("The Murdering Machine"), the lead character, Bénédict Masson, is wrongly accused of murder and guillotined. His brain is later attached to an automaton created by scientist Jacques Cotentin, and Masson goes on to track and punish those who caused his death.

1920s

  • Robots, in Karel Čapek's R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) (1921) – credited with coining the term "robot", which in its original Czech, "robota" means forced labour, and is derived from "rab", meaning "slave." R.U.R. depicts the first elaborate depiction of a machine take-over. Čapek's Robots can also be seen as the first Androids: they are in fact organic.
  • Le Singe (The Monkey) (1925), by Maurice Renard and Albert Jean, imagined the creation of artificial lifeforms through the process of "radiogenesis", a sort of human electrocopying or cloning process.
  • The Metal Giants (1926), by Edmond Hamilton, where a computer brain who runs on atomic power creates an army of 300-foot-tall robots.
  • Automata (1929), by S. Fowler Wright, about machines doing the humans' jobs before wiping them out.

1930s

1940s

1950s and 1960s

  • Astro Boy, series by Osamu Tezuka ( pub. in Japan but available in English), an atomic-powered robot of 100,000 horsepower built to resemble a little boy, most specifically Tobio, the deceased son of Dr. Tenma. When not in school, Astro Boy spent his time dealing with robots & aliens. (1952)
  • The Gallegher series of stories by Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore) collected in Robots Have No Tails (1952)
  • The Mechanical Hound from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
  • Bors, an old government integration robot pivotal to Philip K. Dick's novelette The Last of the Masters (1954)
  • Zane Gort, a robot novelist in the short story "The Silver Eggheads" by Fritz Leiber (1959)
  • SHROUD (Synthetic Human, Radiation OUtput Determined) and SHOCK (Synthetic Human Object, Casualty Kinematics), the sentient test dummies in the novel V. by Thomas Pynchon (1963)
  • Frost, the Beta-Machine, Mordel, and the Ancient Ore Crusher in Roger Zelazny's short story "For a Breath I Tarry" (1966)
  • Trurl and Klapaucius, the robot geniuses of The Cyberiad (Cyberiada, 1967; transl. by Michael Kandel 1974) – collection of humorous stories about the exploits of Trurl and Klapaucius, "constructors" among robots
  • The Iron Man in the novel The Iron Man: A Children's Story in Five Nights by Ted Hughes, illustrated by Andrew Davidson (1968), later changed to The Iron Giant to avoid confusion with its predecessor, the comic superhero of the same name
  • Roy Batty, Pris, Rachael and several other Nexus-6 model androids. "Androids, fully organic in nature – the products of genetic engineering – and so human-like that they can only be distinguished by psychological tests; some of them don't even know that they're not human." – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (1968)
  • "The Electric Grandmother" in the short story of the same name, from I Sing the Body Electric by Ray Bradbury (1969)
  • Mech Eagles from the novel Logan's Run (1967), robotic eagles designed to track and kill people who refused to die at age 21

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

  • Cassandra Kresnov in a series by Joel Shepherd (2001)
  • Moravecs, sentient descendants of probes sent by humans to the Jovian belt, in Dan Simmons' Ilium (2003)
  • Nimue Alban/Merlin Athrawes in the Safehold series by David Weber (2007)
  • Otis, the robot dog from Tanith Lee's Indigara (2007)
  • Freya in Charles Stross' Saturn's Children (2008)
  • HCR-328 and Tom in Automatic Lover and Automatic Lover – Ten Years On by Ariadne Tampion (2008)
  • Boilerplate, a Victorian-era robot in the illustrated coffee-table book Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel, published by Abrams (2009)

Radio

Music

Film

1940s and earlier

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Television films and series

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1960s and earlier

  • In The Thin Man (1957–1959):
    • Robby (Robby the Robot), a robot accused of murder in the episode "Robot Client" (1958)
  • In The Twilight Zone (1961–1962):
  • Andromeda in A for Andromeda (1961)
  • In Supercar (1961–1962):
    • The Robot Servants of Professor Watkins in the episode "The Lost City" (1961)
  • Rosie the Maid, Max and UniBlab in The Jetsons (1962)
  • In Hazel (1961–1966):
  • In Fireball XL5 (1962–1963):
    • Robert, the transparent auto-pilot robot invented by Professor Matic
    • The Granatoid Robots in the episode "The Granatoid Tanks" (1963)
    • The Robots of Robotvia in the episode "Trial By Robot" (1963)
  • Various unnamed robots in Space Patrol (1963–1964) (US title: Planet Patrol)
  • In The Outer Limits (1963–64):
    • Trent, an android from the far future in the episode "Demon with a Glass Hand" (1964)
    • Adam Link, a robot accused of the murder of his creator in the episode "I, Robot" (1964)
  • In Doctor Who (Seasons One to Six) (1963–1969): (see also List of Doctor Who robots)
  • In Thunderbirds (1965–1966):
    • Braman, a robot invented by Brains seen in the episodes "Sun Probe" (1965), "Edge of Impact" (1965) and "The Cham-Cham" (1966)
    • The plutonium store Security Robots in the episode "30 Minutes After Noon" (1965)
  • Astro Boy in the Japanese animated series (1963–1966)
  • Rhoda Miller (aka AF709) in My Living Doll (1964); a fembot played by Julie Newmar.
  • In The Avengers (1965–1969):
    • The Cybernauts in the episodes "The Cybernauts" (1965) and "Return of the Cybernauts" (1967)
  • Tobor, the android in the Japanese anime series 8 Man (1965) and his older, stronger but less sophisticated sister Samantha 7
  • In Lost in Space (1965–1968):
    • Robot B-9 (aka The Robot)
    • The Robotoid (Robby the Robot) in the episode "War of the Robots" (1966)
    • Verda, a gynoid in the episodes "The Android Machine" (1966) and "Revolt of the Androids" (1967)
    • Raddion, a male android in the episode "The Dream Monster" (1966)
    • The IDAK Super Androids in the episode "Revolt of the Androids" (1967)
    • The Industro Mini Robots in the episode "The Mechanical Men" (1967)
    • The robot prison guard (Robby the Robot) in the episode "Condemned of Space" (1967)
    • The Xenian Androids in the episode "Kidnapped in Space" (1967)
    • The Female Robot and Mechanical Men in the episode "Deadliest of the Species" (1967)
    • The Junkman in the episode "Junkyard in Space" (1968)
  • In Ultra Seven (1967–68):
    • Windam, one of the three capsule monsters used by Ultraseven
    • King Joe in the episode "Ultra garrison goes west, part 1"
    • Zero one, a human female looking android in the episode "Android zero directive"
  • In Get Smart (1964–1967):
    • Hymie the Robot, a robot originally created by KAOS an organization of evil, but turned to the side of good and niceness by CONTROL agent Maxwell Smart. First appeared in episode 19 "Back to the Old Drawing Board".
  • In Gilligan's Island:
    • The Government test robot (Robby the Robot) in the episode "Gilligan's Living Doll" (1966)
  • In The Addams Family (1964–1966):
    • Smiley the Robot (Robby the Robot) in the episode "Lurch's Little Helper" (1966)
  • In Star Trek (1966–1969):
    • Dr Roger Korby, Andrea, Dr Brown, Ruk and the Kirk android in the episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" (1966)
    • Nomad, a sentient robot probe in the episode "The Changeling" (1967)
    • The Norman, Alice, Herman, Barbara, Maizie, Annabelle and Trudy series androids and the Stella Mudd androids in the episode "I, Mudd" (1967)
    • Rayna Kapec in the episode "Requiem for Methuselah" (1969)
    • The android replicas of Mr Atoz in the episode "All Our Yesterdays" (1969)
  • Serendipity Dog, a robot dog who asked questions on the BBC children's science series Tom Tom (1966–1969)
  • Robot "driver" of the race car Melange / X3 in the Speed Racer episodes "Revenge of Marengo (Part one)" and "(Part two)" / "Race for Revenge: Part 1" and "Part 2" (1967)
  • Giant Robo/Flying Robot and others in the series Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot (1967–1968)
  • In Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967–1968):
    • The Mysteron construction robots in the episode "Crater 101" (1968)
  • Mildred the Maid (Robby the Robot) in The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968–1970)
  • In Joe 90 (1968–1969):
    • The Spider riot control robots in the episode "The Professional" (1969)
  • In Land of the Giants (1968–1970):
    • Professor Gorn's Super Giant Robot, a giant android, in the episode "The Mechanical Man" (1969)
  • Slim John, rebel robot in the BBC series (1969)

1970s

  • Zed, the rebel robot in The Ed and Zed Show (c. 1970)
  • In Doctor Who (Seasons 7 to 17) (1970–1980):
    • The IMC Mining Robot in the serial Colony in Space (1971)
    • The Sontaran Knight Robot in the serial The Time Warrior (1973–1974)
    • The K1 Robot invented by Professor Kettlewell in the serial Robot (1974–1975)
    • The Sontaran Surveillance Robot in the serial The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
    • The Osirian Service Robots, mummy-like robot servants of Sutekh in the serial Pyramids of Mars (1975)
    • The Kraal Androids, including android duplicates of the Doctor, Harry Sullivan and RSM Benton, in the serial The Android Invasion (1975)
    • Dum, Voc and Supervoc robots in the serial The Robots of Death (1977)
    • K-9, the Doctor's robot dog companion, created by Professor Marius and introduced in the serial The Invisible Enemy (1977)
    • The Seers of the Oracle in the serial Underworld (1978)
    • K9 MkII, the second version of the Doctor's robot dog companion, introduced in the serial The Ribos Operation (1978)
    • The Polyphase Avatron, the Captain's robot parrot in the serial The Pirate Planet (1978)
    • The Taran Androids, including an android duplicate of Romana, in the serial The Androids of Tara (1978)
    • The Movellans, android enemies of the Daleks, in the serial Destiny of the Daleks (1979)
  • Numerous android characters in the Japanese superhero series Kikaider (1972), including the title character
  • S.A.M. (Super Automated Machine) the "perfect machine" robot in Sesame Street (1969–present), introduced in episode 0406 (1972)
  • In Here Come the Double Deckers! (1971):
    • Robbie, a dancing robot invented by Brains in the episode "Robbie the Robot" (1971)
  • In Columbo (1971–1993):
  • In Robbi, Tobbi und das Fliewatüüt, a German television series for children (1972):
    • Robbi aka ROB 344–66/IIIa, Co-Pilot of the Fliewatüüt and student of a third class at robot school (1972)
  • In Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1972–1975):
    • "Mr. R.I.N.G." (Robomatic Internalized Nerve Ganglia) a top secret military robot in the episode of the same name (1975)
  • In The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–1978):
    • A robot double of Major Fred Sloane in the episode "Day of the Robot" (1974)
    • A robot double of Oscar Goldman in the episode "Return of the Robot Maker" (1975)
    • Sasquatch, the robot watchdog of marooned aliens in the episodes "The Secret of Bigfoot – Part 1" (1976), "The Secret of Bigfoot – Part 2" (1976), "The Return of Bigfoot – Part 1" (1976) and "Bigfoot V" (1977)
    • The Fembots and a robot double of Oscar Goldman in the episode "Kill Oscar – Part II" (1976)
    • Death Probe, a Soviet Venusian robot probe in the episodes "Death Probe – Part 1" (1977), "Death Probe – Part 2" (1977), "Return of the Death Probe – Part 1" (1978) and "Return of the Death Probe – Part 2" (1978)
  • Questor in The Questor Tapes (1974)
  • In Space: 1999 (1975–1977):
    • The Servant of the Guardian in the episode "Guardian of Piri" (1975)
    • Gwent, a sentient spaceship in the episode "The Infernal Machine" (1976)
    • Zarl, Zamara and the other Vegan androids in the episode "One Moment of Humanity" (1976)
    • Brian the Brain in the episode "Brian the Brain" (1976)
    • A robot double of Maya in the episode "The Taybor" (1976)
    • The Cloud Creature in the episode "The Beta Cloud" (1976)
  • Fi and Fum, the time-travelling androids from the children's series The Lost Saucer (1975–1976)
  • In The New Avengers (1976–1977):
    • A Cybernaut in the episode "The Last of the Cybernauts...??" (1976)
  • In Ark II (1976):
  • In The Bionic Woman (1976–1978):
    • Sasquatch, the robot watchdog of marooned aliens in the episode "The Return of Bigfoot – Part 2" (1976)
    • The Fembots in the episodes "Kill Oscar" (1976), "Kill Oscar – Part III" (1976), "Fembots in Las Vegas – Part 1" (1977) and "Fembots in Las Vegas – Part 2" (1977)
  • Yo-Yo, aka Geogory Yoyonovitch in Holmes & Yo-Yo (1976)
  • Officer Haven in Future Cop (1976–77)
  • In The Fantastic Journey (1977):
    • Cyrus, Rachel, Daniel, Michael and the other android members of Jonathan Willoway's community in the episode "Beyond the Mountain" (1977)
  • In Logan's Run (1977–78):
    • REM, a male android who joins Logan and Jessica in their search for Sanctuary
    • Draco, a male android, and Siri, a gynoid, in the pilot TV movie (1977)
    • Friend and Nanny, Lisa'a robot companions in the episode "The Innocent" (1977)
    • Ariana, a gynoid, in the episode "Futurepast" (1978)
  • The Clinkers in Shields and Yarnell (1977–78)
  • Peepo, the robot in the children's series Space Academy (1977–1979)
  • In Space Sentinels (1977):
    • MO (Maintenance Operator), Sentinel One's maintenance robot
  • Haro in Mobile Suit Gundam (1977)
  • Voltes V of the Japanese animated series Chōdenji Machine Voltes V (1977)
  • P.O.P.S. (Robot B-9 modified) in Mystery Island (1977–78)
  • 7-Zark-7 and 1-Rover-1 in the animated series Battle of the Planets (1978)
  • In Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979):
    • The Cylons, mechanical men created by a race of reptile-like creatures
    • Muffit Two, a robot daggit who becomes Boxey's pet
    • Lucifer, an IL series Cylon, the robot assistant to Count Baltar introduced in "Saga of a Star World – Part III" (1978)
    • Specter, an I-L series Cylon, the garrison commander on Antilla in the episode "The Young Lords" (1978)
    • Hector and Vector in the episode "Greetings from Earth" (1979)
  • IQ-9 in Star Blazers (1978–1984), originally called "Analyzer" in Space Battleship Yamato (1974–1980)
  • H.E.R.B.I.E. (Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics) in the 1978 Fantastic Four animated series
  • Blake's 7 (1978–81) featured several robots and androids
  • In The New Adventures of Wonder Woman (1977–1979):
    • Dr Solano's swordmaster robot in the pilot movie "The Return of Wonder Woman" (1977)
    • Orlick Hoffman's android duplicates of Dr Tobias, Dr Prescott, Dr Lazaar and Wonder Woman in the episode "The Deadly Toys" (1977)
    • Rover, the IADC's robot dog, Cori, William Havitol's robot secretary, and Havitol's evil duplicate of Rover in the episode "IRAC is Missing" (1978)
  • In Quark (1977–1978):
    • Andy the Robot, a cowardly robot built by Adam Quark from spare parts
  • In Mork & Mindy (1978–1982):
  • In Salvage 1 (1979):
    • Mermadon, a junked Government-constructed android in the episode "Mermadon" (1979)
  • In Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (First Season) (1979–1980):
    • Twiki, Buck's ambuquad robot who wears Dr. Theopolis, a brilliant talking computer, around his neck
    • Tina, a golden ambuquad that Twiki falls in love with in the episode "Cruise Ship to the Stars"
    • Humanoid robot security guards in the episode "Unchained Woman"
  • W1k1 (or Wiki), the pocket-sized robot in the children's series Jason of Star Command (1979–1981)
  • The TV movie Romie-0 and Julie-8 features two androids who fall in love. (1979)

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Comics

Comic Books/Graphic novels

American

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Australian

British

Franco-Belgian

Other European

  • Robbie, a recurring robot constructed by inventor Knox in German series Fix und Foxi, first drawn by Massimo Fecchi (1976)
  • Robots from planet Des from Polish series Bogowie z kosmosu (Gods from the Space), written by Arnold Mostowicz and Alfred Górny and illustrated by Bogusław Polch (1978)
  • Uèr, an "electro-chemical" android capable of human feelings, in Italian comic book Milady 3000 by Magnus (1980)

South American

Manga (Japanese comics)

Comic strips

  • Beetle Bot from the comic strip Beetle Bailey
  • Bossbot, a robot created by Dilbert
  • Kollege Blech from the comic strips of East German caricaturist Erich Schmitt (1965)
  • Robotman (1985) in the comic strip of the same name, which eventually became "Monty". Robotman left the strip and found happiness with his girlfriend Robota on another planet.
  • A heroic female robot called Mimi, an evil robot doppelganger of Mickey Mouse, and a robot army led by Peg-Leg Pete in the newspaper strip "The World of Tomorrow" (1944) by Floyd Gottfredson and Bill Walsh
  • Rubert, a robot created by Dilbert

Web comics

Web based media

Animated shorts/series

Flash

  • Rya Botkins and June Crane of Matt Wilson's Bonus Stage (though Crane's status is disputed, as she has claimed to be human)
  • The Grape-Nuts Robot, created by Bubs to imitate Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, appears here[4]
  • Schniz, Fulker, CPDoom, and various background characters from Andrew Kauervane's My God, Robots!

Machinima

  • Lopez, Church and Tex, characters from the Rooster Teeth machinima Red vs. Blue. Only Lopez is a true artificial life-form, as both Church and Tex exist only as ghosts ( later in the series though solid proof showed that they both are A.I. programs like O'Malley the whole time ). Both characters where blown up during the course of the series, existing from that point onward in robot bodies other than their originals. They possess mechanical bodies similar to Lopez in design.

Podcasts

  • Little Button Puss, character from Episode #310 of the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast, played by John Gemberling. Little Button Puss, aka HPDP69-B, is a promotional robot built by Hewlett Packard and is the first ever robot created with a fully sentient artificial intelligence, personality, and speaking function. It was designed by HP engineers for the express purpose of sexually pleasing humans. Comedy Bang! Bang! host Scott Aukerman was sent Little Button Puss as part of a promotional advertising campaign for the line of sex-robots. Little Button Puss looks like a metal dog, and has small flesh patches where its genitals are. Elsewhere, it's described as having the appearance of "nickel blue, gun metal." It is verified in the episode that Scott Aukerman lustily removed Little Button Puss's retractable genitals, threw them in a trash can, and then proceeded to use the HPDP69-B for its intended purpose. Afterwards, according to Comedy Bang! Bang! official canon, Aukerman looked back on the incident with shame. A complaint about the HPDP69-B is that, for a sex-robot, "it looks too much like a metal dog." In a brief look into its past, Little Button Puss recounts an old romantic relationship with its long lost love, United Flight 93, who "died in the September 11th attacks."[5]

Computer and video games

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See also

Notes

External links

 
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