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):