Quick Search of DRB:
Lijit Search
drb rss about
suggest
advertise
subscribe
rss rss
rss
airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | famous | cool ads | funny pics | food | futurism | gadgets | history | japan
military | music | nature | photo | russia | sci-fi | signs | space | sports | steampunk | technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird

Monday, March 29, 2010

Utterly Irresistible Robot Sculptures


"QUANTUM SHOT" #620
Link - by Avi Abrams



Snuggly Little Robots and Obnoxious Huge Ones

When are robots NOT required to be efficient, super-smart, or uniquely useful? When robots are art, of course. More and more robots are being created from used and found parts all over the world for sheer viewing and cuddling pleasure of general public and lucky collectors. Here are some of them:


(robot creations by Terry Collier)

We featured chrome-delicious robot sculptures and ray-guns art before (read the whole series here). Now's the time for another groovy installment.

Toys? Not Toys?

This "Space Patrol" by UltraJunk is made from "a vintage boat motor gas tank, 60's auto seats side trim plates, Studebaker emblem and vintage microphone for the grill, old van interior lights for head lights, BBQ gas grill parts for the engine exhaust pipes, bicycle head light with a cut down 1960 Chevy tail light for the rear light, part of a ballerina toy for the bubble shield with a 50's Chrysler headlight ring for the bubble trim, Electrolux vacuum cleaner parts, antique wood burner top and clothes rack ring for the base, and other odds and ends." Gorgeous, isn't it?


(image credit: UltraJunk)

"Even Robots Get the Blues":


(image credit: Ultrajunk)

Cars turn into wicked robots... so what else is new?

(think Toyota). OK, here is the real thing: a robot (full-size!) sculpture made from crashed BMW 645CI car parts by sculptor Bruce Gray



"This robot features a movable head, pivoting (simulated) energy pulse gun with movable joystick/fire button controller, movable upper arm and a forearm that raises and has a swiveling multi-positionable hand" - more info.

Don't stand in its line of sight! -


(images credit: Bruce Gray)

Back to the army of cute little robots:

Mike Slobot is a sculptor and painter, sculpting his own brand of robots called “the slobots” for about the last 5 years. Here is the "slobot" created for the Stitch Experiment 626 project: the original figure was a 10” tall Disney Stitch character from the Lilo and Stitch movie.



(images credit: Mike Slobot)

More slobots, including this cute SloBart, can be seen at Mike's website:




Here is a cool update from Lockwasher: "Roaming" Mobile Phone Man (left) and a head of the Phil Robot (made from an old railroad lantern!) -


(image credit: Lockwasher)

How "outcast robots find new loving homes"

Brian Marshall (aka Adoptabot) makes robots out of kitchen utensil and every other piece of used cutlery - with fascinating results:




(images credit: Brian Marshall)

Caroline Le Breton also uses kitchen utensils and cookware for her cute robot creations:


(images credit: Caroline Le Breton)

Quite funny and offbeat work by Clayton Bailey:


(image credit: Clayton Bailey)

And don't forget to check updates at Bennett Robot Works!


(images credit: Bennett Robot Works)

Aaron Ristau's whimsical metal art projects include this "Frontier Cartography Robot":



(images credit: Aaron Ristau)

Buggy Robot by Martin Horspool is also a great source for whimsical and inventive little robot sculptures:


(image credit: Buggy Robot)

Just be careful around some vintage tin toy robots - they can turn into the real thing in the blink of an eye! -


("Forbidden Planet" Robbie the Robot makes an appearance in "The Invisible Boy" (1957) - info)

Robots bringing donuts? why, yes!

Incredibly whimsical, award-winning art of Eric Joyner is all about robots, giant and small collectible ones - you also may recognize some vintage toy robots in his artwork, like the ones we featured here.


(image credit: Eric Joyner)

Can't get enough tin toy robot art prints? Try illustrations by Karl Egenberger:


(image credit: Karl Egenberger)

This is the Boilerplate Robot, the date is 1893, and yes, this photograph is a fake:




(learn more about this "elaborate hoax" here)

Misc. robot occupations... Some require more "right brain activity" than others (or is it "left brain activity", really?) - for example, conducting an orchestra:


(Honda's Asimo robot conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Paul Sancya/AP)

Robots as teachers and teaching assistants:


(image via)

Robots making/fixing other robots:


(image credit: Martin Becka)

Ray Guns are still stuff of the future. How come?

Not that we want to promote development of weapons, but it just seems so incredible that we can build Large Hadron Collider but not a single working concept of a ray gun. In the meantime, Dr. Grordbort is busy creating ray gun "replicas":


(image credit: Greg Broadmore)

Weta Digital Forum is probably the best place to hunt for wicked-looking ray guns and possibly collectible purchases.

To build a proper ray gun, you need precision view-finders and instruments. Zoom in... Enhance!


(art credit: Oliver Wetter)

Why build only small cuddly robots? Build a HUGE exoskeleton for a badass robot, ready to dominate the world (or at least Alaskan town of Wasilla, where it was spotted - more info):


(image credit: Jeff Schultz)


(original unknown)

CONTINUE TO NEXT PAGE! ->

READ THE WHOLE "ROBOTS IN ARTS" SERIES! ->

Permanent Link......+StumbleUpon ...+Facebook

READ RECENT POSTS:


Fascinating Matchbook Art

Always Striking! Classic Matchbooks, Part One

Biscotti Bits
Mixed Links & Images

Incl. "Clumsy Heinz Automatons"


Never Give Up! Crazy Logistics, Part 12

Not safe, by any stretch of imagination

COMMENTS::

6 Comments:

Blogger Craig said...

Great collection of excellent robot art. But the photo attributed to "Forbidden Planet" seems wrong to me. I think it's from "The Invisible Boy", http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050546/. Robbie the Robot appeared in both, but the boy?

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Speaking of robots, take a look at these cool Transformer-like videos:

http://funsubstance.com/2010/03/pc-lovers-you-will-love-this-for-sure.html

___  
Anonymous Joe said...

Nice of them to give that one robot the ability to smoke. What a sign of the times.

___  
Blogger M.H. said...

I, for one, welcome are all robots.
http://RobotsAreaAwesome.etsy.com

___  
Blogger Teddy said...

this website rocks! to many advertizments, though...

___  
Blogger Teddy said...

great site! impresive! to many adds, though...

___  

Post a Comment

<< Home


SF ART & BOOK REVIEWS:
Don't miss: The Ultimate Guide to SF&F Writers!
Fiction Reviews: Alastair Reynolds "Chasm City"
Short Fiction Reviews: Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" (with pics)
New Fiction Reviews: The Surreal Office

READ MORE RECENT POSTS:


Coffee Art & Style Extravaganza

Have your cup of coffee with a smile (and a vengeance)


Extraordinary Inventions: Victorian-Era Prank Machines

Electric shocks and mechanical goats fun


The Best of "Dark Roasted Blend" in 2011

Wonders upon Wonders!


Cool Vintage Actors, Part 1

Charming, adventurous, funny


The World's Worst (and Ugliest) Cars

Somebody shoot these wheeled abominations


Cute Vintage Ice Cream Trucks

"Often Licked, Never Beaten!"..


The Most Incredible Space Imagery

Blast off to distant galaxies!


Merry Christmas & Happy New 2012 Year from DRB!

A healthy helping of Seasonal Cheer


Spectacular 2012 Heavy Machinery Calendar

Higher, Bigger, Heavier!


The Other Space Race

Active Space Programs outside USA or Russia


Hilarious Prank Letters to Corporations

"I am a lover of all things clarinettal..."


American Concept Car Showcase, Part 2

The Age of Chrome, Aerodynamic Excess and Sheer Excitement


The World's Largest Ship Propellers

Steel behemoths propelling huge ships


Heavy Machinery in Trouble! (Wow Pics)

The heavier they are, the harder they crash


Surreal Art Update: Glass Garage Gallery

Not afraid of "pretty", but still pretty weird

FULL ARCHIVES (with previews, fast loading): 

Dec-Jan 2012 --
November 2011 -- October 2011 -- September 2011 -- August 2011 --
July 2011 -- June 2011 -- May 2011 -- April 2011 -- March 2011 --
February 2011 -- January 2011 -- December 2010 -- November 2010 --
  October 2010 -- September 2010 -- August 2010 - July 2010 --
June 2010 -- May 2010 -- April 2010 -- March 2010 -- Winter 2009-2010 --
October-November 2009 -- September 2009 -- August 2009 --
June-July 2009 -- May 2009 -- April 2009 -- March 2009 --
February 2009 -- January 2009 -- December 2008 --
November 2008 -- October 2008 -- September 2008
August 2008 -- July 2008 -- June 2008
May 2008 -- April 2008 -- March 2008
February 2008 -- January 2008 -- Dec, 2007
November 2007 -- October 2007 -- Sept, 2007
August 2007 -- July 2007 -- June 2007
May 2007 -- April 2007 -- March 2007
February 2007 -- January 2007 -- Dec, 2006
November 2006 -- October 2006 -- Link Lattes

...


CATEGORIES
airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | books | cool ads | funny pics | famous | futurism | food
gadgets | health | history | humour | japan | internet | link latte | military | music | nature | photo | russia | steampunk
sci-fi & fantasy | signs | space | sports | technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird
 
  
       



Also read DRB on iPad:
Flipboard - Cool Curators




Airplanes
Animals
Architecture
Art
Auto
Boats
Computers
Cool Ads
Extreme Weather
Food
Funny Pics
Futurism
Gadgets
History
Humour
Link Latte
Military
Music
Nature
Oops Accidents
Photography
Robots
Science
Science Fiction

Space
Sports
Technology
Trains
Travel
UE Abandoned
Vintage
Weird









Avi Abrams
Rachel Abrams
M. Christian
Simon Rose
Paul Schilperoord
Scott Seegert
Constantine vonHoffman

- Join Our Team -
Guidelines







  • as for the 3d glass sculpture,
    dale chihuly did a series not unlike this in the 70's with opaque and translucent white glass

    by pouring molten glass from a very great height and letting the glsass build up like a stalagmite, some of the peices were 15 feet tall....

    he's now gone on to create huge instalations and other objects..
    http://www.chihuly.com/glass.html
    Read more

  • I fear your opening line about a gorgeous woman in the kitchen is going to irk a few people.

    Other than that..my mouth is watering for some coffee..*drool*
    Read more

  • awesome post, but u forgot a beautiful one. the bruno munari concorso:

    http://www.faema-e-61.de/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=uploads%2Fpics%2FBild002_Neg.Nr.2A.jpg&width=492&height=600m&bodyTag=%3Cbody%20style%3D%22margin%3A0%3B%20background%3A%23fff%3B%22%3E&wrap=%3Ca%20href%3D%22javascript%3Aclose%28%29%3B%22%3E%20%7C%20%3C%2Fa%3E&md5=f97399507ff1f396ad7362b78afc9066

    hope the link works...
    Read more

  • The problem with this emphasis on design is that function tends to suffer. A LOT.

    For example:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/06/style/06iht-design9.html
    Read more

  • They are nice for sure, but not necessarily that easy to handle. La Pavioni manual espresso machines (the ones in the beginning) for example take quite a lot of skill and practice to get it right.
    Read more

  • Consider me irked.
    Read more

  • http://lingni-net.blogspot.com/search?q=Riviera+espresso
    Read more

  • Those are pretty darn awesome designs. I especially love the third one.

    And something to compliment it:

    http://funsubstance.com/2010/03/13-very-cool-coffee-art.html
    Read more

  • 13 Very Cool Coffee Art, that's pretty cool.
    Read more

  • The last photo resembles the PC game "Portal"...
    Read more

  • yeah the last picture with the orange and blue rings around the mugs is a reference to valve's game Portal, which is great.
    Read more

  • Please give credit to those you grab photos from, even if they're on Flickr.

    Your set of latte art photos came from here:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonx/sets/48921/
    Read more

  • Thank you for this info - we were wondering where this came from. Info adjusted.
    Read more

  • Cars of the future actually looked futuristic, once upon a time. Designers today just want their car to look like the other guy's car.
    If only the other guy's car was a Citroen GT!
    Read more

  • Oh, where to begin...?

    The more I see of those old Modern Mechanix covers, the more I'm convinced that the manufacturers of paint—namely, red, yellow, and black—were going to be very rich in the future!
    There were so many memories brought back in this piece. I took the Futurama ride at the NY World's Fair in '64, and to this day I wonder how they made it all look not just real and plausible, but inevitable.
    It's one of the pieces of the future I feel I've been cheated out of.

    The Amtronic concept vehicle also existed as a model kit (1969). I kept mine for years! As far as I know it has not been reissued. *sigh* I know a lot more about plastic modeling now—I could really do it justice. I remember the main cabin as having four lounge-style seats, facing each other...and mounted in the roof, a TV screen!

    The screw-drive vehicle was seriously considered by the Army as off-road transportation, also around 1964. Chrysler built it, and I recall seeing it in one of their advertisements on TV.

    As for the Empire State Building becoming a spaceship; don't be fooled! All that heavy metal was being used to move the building in one piece (which, tragically, failed). That comes from an episode of the old British SF series Thunderbirds.

    And yes, the Land Boat is an abomination. I'm happy to have missed that.
    Many thanks for a backward look.
    Read more

  • Looks like the unnamed vehicle is actually the Batmobile in emergency Batmissile mode, from "Batman Returns".
    Just my 0.02$ !

    Also the moving Empire State Building is indeed a Thunderbirds comic panel. The related TV serie episode should be "Terror in NYC". Supermarionation FTW...
    Read more

  • The "Rad" is the Batmissile from BATMAN RETURNS -- that's the concept art for it. Basically the batmobile with the sides blown off and the wheels pulled inline, like a rollerblade.
    Read more

  • Shucks, guess I'm the third person to catch the Rad as the Batmissile. Oh well, still a fantastic post nonetheless.
    Read more

  • Great stuff!
    The 1958 LAND BOAT is a fairly recent Bruce McCall spoof of American 50s 60s concept cars from his book "The Last Dream-O-Rama." He's the guy who created those great Bulgemobile ads in the old National Lampoon and does a lot of covers and articles for the New Yorker
    Read more

  • The left hand one of those "heavy bombers from the 1970s" is more of a late-50s, early 60s bomber. It's an artists impression of the proposed, but never-built Convair NX-2 nuclear-powered bomber.
    Read more

  • @ GMpilot -- the Amtronic has been reissued at least twice (by the original maker: AMT, hence AMTronic) since the original release -- once in the late Eighties and again in 2000 for their Millennium Collection. Can be had on Ebay relatively cheaply. I have a couple of each release.

    As far as the hollow asteroid, it was originally conceived by author Larry Niven. Take a small nickel-iron asteroid. Drill a hole down the center, fill it with big bags of water. Aim a parabolic mirror at it and set it to rotating. The outer shell of the asteroid will melt, and once the heat hits the water, they flash into steam -- poof! Instant iron bubble.
    Read more

  • A couple of corrections:

    First, the Firebird III is a GM design, not Ford. And from 1958 (first shown in 1959), not 1955.

    Second, as John Lee says, the Land Yacht is not a 1958 design; it's from a 2001 book entitled "The Last Dream-o-Rama" that's a humorous "retrospective" of 1950s futurism, exaggerated into silliness.
    Read more

  • Awesome comments - thank you all! Post updated.
    Read more

  • Those "heavy bombers" were a pair of nuclear powered aircraft candidates, cooked up before ICBM tech was perfected.

    One of the prototype engines is on public display in Idaho.

    http://www.atomictourist.com/ebr.htm
    Read more

  • The unknown tubular plane is a Collins Radio prototype by Alexander Lippisch that was housed in the Collins hanger at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa airport sometime after WW II when the German engineers were relocated to the U.S. I'm not sure on the dates, but the information is available in a number of books on experimental aircraft.
    Read more

  • Wonderful collection, as ever. Love the site! :)

    The first cutaway picture of the "Interesting concepts of cruise ships..." pair is from an issue of the Thunderbirds comic serials. I have an early 90s collected edition which features this image as a double page spread and the story in which (iirc) the ship is targeted by South American revolutionaries!
    Read more

  • I used to have that Mattel moon walker toy! I believe it was for the Major Matt Mason toy line. You flipped that lever in the back and it crawled along.
    Read more

  • I had the Mattel moowalker, too. Even as a kid I could see how impractical it was. When the legs turned it would thrash from side-to-side, throwing the astronaut off instantly.
    Read more

  • Yes, Ken, it would have been like a bucking bronco machine. My neck aches thinking about it.
    Read more

  • i like all the techniques and the models...
    Read more

  • awesome pics nice work
    Read more

  • I highly advise people to watch this, it was really EPIC when it was shown on C4 in the UK last year. Great post Avi, as per usual.
    Read more

  • I watched it yesterday on German tv.
    Really cool.
    Read more

  • I watched it the other day. It was REALLY cool. Should make a man proud what his little guys go through.

    And we should all be so blessed that one little guy survived for us to be born!
    Read more

  • Hope they give some credits to Woody Allen.
    Read more

  • I like it so much; that I put it on mywebchannel :-)
    Read more

  • ekranoplane video :)

    http://www.military.cz/russia/navy/ekranoplan/km4.mpg
    Read more

  • it makes me so sad to see the lunokhod like that
    Read more

  • @Overlord: these are Muslims praying in the direction of Mecca.
    Read more

  • My # wasn't 7, it was 6.
    Read more

  • The last nun photo, with the group of nuns walking past a poster with naked cartoon ladies on it, is the work of René Maltête: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:7-peches_capitaux.jpg
    Read more

  • The ship breaking yards are E not W:

    21°25'05.02 N 72°12'26.53 E
    Read more

  • I really picked 7, without thinking. Weird...
    Read more

  • a C10-based hot dog and sandwich stand: killer philly steaks and cheezewiz dogs

    http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/12981
    Read more

  • Wow, I've actually visited three of these. (the 1 in Costa Rica,then the 2 in the Czech rep.)
    nice post. :)
    Read more

  • its like..........wwwWWWOOOWWWwww........
    Read more

  • Too Cool!!!! As an airline Captain I spend 200+ hours in a plane each month. Why not live in one? That would be completely awesome.
    Read more

  • Great collection! I've actually seen a few in the Penndel area of Pa. Very cool stuff!
    Read more

  • hungarian one (second image):http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il%E2%80%9318
    Read more

  • Wow, this is a fantastic article! I'm actually writing a Scifi book about a super volcano that threatens mankind. It's a real threat.
    Read more

  • only they forgot the earth is a sphere, so eventually east Asia will collide with west America.
    Read more

  • Very good article.

    Those pictures in bottom were a little silly ;P
    Read more

  • This is a great load of information. It's funny because I was just pondering this whole thing especially since the earthquake in Chile. Thanks for sharing Simon.
    Read more

  • Huzzah! Great Britain still independent 250 million years in the future
    Read more

  • Where is the polar shifting?
    Read more

  • Clearly they haven't calculated for Kirstie Alley's ass.
    Everyone knows it is going to outlive Kirstie herself and will someday be larger than most landmasses.
    Read more

  • Love your site, but hate this theme. You should change the colors (get rid of the brown) and use white background. Hey, just because your blog is named after coffee doesn't mean it has to be brown. :)
    Read more

  • the 2012 movie made a cool explosion e-card, its worth checking out :) http://bit.ly/cKHVQU
    Read more

  • These pics r koooooool
    Read more

  • As an anthropologist, I find Hancock's work very interesting and appreciate the questions he brings. I've seen too many instances of authorities telling a dozen people that each of their examples are "outliers" or "have no precedent' when their examples all in fact reinforce one another. Hancock's work seems to evolve, and I'm not sure if he even believes some of what he investigates. I think it's unfortunate that he dwells so much on Hapgood and largely discredited map "anomalies", he undermines his own good points by going back to that line of thinking. But he makes some very strong cases in my opinion on cultural traditions and oral history, and ferreting out anomalies that should be discussed.
    Read more

  • what the fudge man i do not believe in that 2012 crap it's a bunch of B.S if any believes that they are either mentally retarded, high or they have to be sober
    Read more

  • sup jotos
    Read more

  • Hi all,
    I seem to remember reading some years ago that humanity's DNA diversity shows a bottleneck about 12000 years ago, possible caused by a calamity that severely reduced the number of people on the planet. Sorry, I've no links or attributions for this. Anyone heard or read this, I love to delve deeper into it.
    Read more

  • Hi Mike

    I think your numbers are a bit off. Try 72000 years ago and wiki/google 'Toba supervolcano'.
    Read more

  • I saw plate tectonics time machine in Dresden Nature Science Museum - it was amazing to turn the wheel of Earth time, and it is so impressive to see all the changes for so long time in minutes...
    Read more

  • DRB ist my most favorite site next to Wikipedia so I would like to contribute to its success. I'm sorry but I feel rather sceptic about these images that show the face of the earth in the distant future after all these pictures show Africa as a whole. This ignores the Great Rift Valley that will seperate Eastern Africa with countries like Somalia or Kenya from the bigger part of Africa.

    Despite that: Keep up the good work!
    Read more

  • Thank you - great to hear these words... as for the Rift Valley, you're absolutely right - something's gonna come out of it, as it is very active region.
    Read more

  • Sadly enough, I can't envision that as a realistic possibility for this world. Still, so many of us dream of a future in which humans might co-exist perfectly with nature. It would be ideal.
    Read more

  • In this line, take a look at this web: http://tokyogenso.exblog.jp/ similar to that unknown source works.
    Read more

  • Where's Disney's initial blueprints for Epcot Center?
    Read more

  • the unknown is from Imperial Boy http://tksn.web.infoseek.co.jp/
    Read more

  • What about Palo Solari and his arcologies?

    http://www.arcosanti.org/
    Read more

  • Great collection of pics. What's interesting is that even if those visions were to come to fruition, there will still be used syringes and crack rocks strewn over these futuristic landscapes.

    No one seems to consider how telling it is that we should be so inclined to dream up a cosmetically distinct atmosphere while we remain entire as destructive and myopic as ever. Such visions are basically Cosmo magazine pinups for architecture- here cover up your psychological faults and distortions with plum red lipstick.

    Go dreams!
    Read more

  • M. Christian - that's an absolutely fantastic selection of architectural renderings you have chosen for this article. How long did it take for you to put this all together? Many kudos...
    Read more

  • Some of those older ones remind me of the work of Winsor McCay, though less stylish.
    Read more

  • Actually those sliding pavements have been a reality. They existed in 1912, so for someone in 1913 to imagine them to be the way of the future isn't so outlandish!

    http://www.damninteresting.com/the-remarkable-pneumatic-people-mover
    Read more

  • Wow.

    These are amazing illustrations!

    Let's go to the future, right now.

    Who has a time machine?
    Read more

  • heh as cool as the waterfall castle is i coulden't help but think how terrible a place it would be to live there. it would be so loud all the time! might as well live next tot he airport
    Read more

  • Some of this project are only artistic vision of architects. This will never been built or only for fun or tourist attraction.
    In Poland we have such attraction. it's called upsidedown house and it's only purpose is to lure turists.
    Read more

  • Great images,
    I have done a documentary about visionary architecture.
    See here:
    http://www.solarisfilm.se/great.htm
    and here:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKp2qVEtQL0
    Read more

  • "An utilitarian nightmare..."

    It should be "a utilitarian nightmare." The determinant of the use of "a" or "an" is the sound leading the word not the letter. So even though "utilitarian" begins with a vowel, is has the consonant sound "yoo" and thus requires "a" in front of it.
    Read more

  • That's really a fantastic post ! added to my favourite blogs list... I have been reading your blog last couple of weeks and enjoy every bit. Thanks!
    Read more

  • Dont You Think people love the green in fact need it ....
    Read more


Send us your topic ideas, site suggestions, rants or sweet unpublished poetry. We love to hear from you.



Misc.:
Custom t-shirts
China Tours








.