The Robot Hall of Fame, established in 2003 by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, honors significant robots in science, society, and technology. As of 2025, 34 real and fictional robots have been inducted.

The organization was established by the CMU's School of Computer Science as an acknowledgement of Pittsburgh's achievements in the field of robotics and with the aim of creating a broader awareness of the contributions of robotics in society.[1] The idea was conceived by School of Computer Science dean James H. Morris, who described it as a means of honoring "robots that have served an actual or potentially useful function and demonstrated real skill, along with robots that entertain and those that have achieved worldwide fame in the context of fiction."[1] The first induction ceremony was held at the Kamin Science Center on November 10, 2003.[2] An exhibit named Roboworld was present at the Kamin Science Center from June 2009 until June 2022, featuring a physical embodiment of the hall of fame.[3][4] Now some of them may be found in the lobby of Rangos Giant Cinema.[5]

From 2003 to 2010, inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame were chosen by a panel of jurors.[6] Members of the public could nominate a robot for induction with a one-paragraph explanation.[1] In 2012, the voting process was altered. Nominations were gathered through a survey of 107 authorities on robotics, then divided into four categories: Education & Consumer, Entertainment, Industrial & Service, and Research.[6] Members of the public were allowed to vote online for one of three nominees per category.[7][8] Officials subsequently derived the final list of inductees from the survey and the public vote.[6] Robot Hall of Fame director Shirley Saldamarco said of the changes:

The technology and art of robotics are advancing at an increasingly rapid rate and so the Robot Hall of Fame also must evolve. As more students, workers and consumers become accustomed to robots, it seems like a natural step to give the public a voice in selecting inductees.[9]

Inductees

List of robots in the Robot Hall of Fame
Year Name Description Category Ref.
2003 HAL 9000 Character from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey Entertainment [10][11]
R2-D2 Character from the Star Wars franchise Entertainment [10][12]
Sojourner Mars rover developed by NASA Research [10][13]
Unimate Industrial robot developed by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger; first industrial robot Industrial & Service [10][14]
2004 ASIMO Humanoid robot developed by Honda Research [10][15]
Astro Boy Character from the Astro Boy franchise Entertainment [10][16]
C-3PO Character from the Star Wars franchise Entertainment [10][17]
Robby the Robot Character from the film Forbidden Planet Entertainment [10][18]
Shakey Mobile robot developed by the Stanford Research Institute; first mobile robot able to reason about its own actions Research [10][19]
2006 AIBO Robotic pet manufactured by Sony Education & Consumer [10][20]
David Character from the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence Entertainment [10][21]
Gort Character from the film The Day the Earth Stood Still Entertainment [10][22]
Maria Character from the film Metropolis Entertainment [10][23]
SCARA Industrial robotic arm developed by the University of Yamanashi Industrial & Service [10][24]
2008 Data Character from the Star Trek franchise Entertainment [10][25]
Lego Mindstorms Robot kit toy series manufactured by the Lego Group Education & Consumer [10][26]
Navlab 5 Autonomous robotic vehicle developed by the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science Research [10][27]
Raibert Hopper Hopping robot developed by Marc Raibert; first self-balancing hopping robot Research [10][28]
2010 da Vinci Surgical System Robotic surgical system manufactured by Intuitive Surgical Industrial & Service [10][29]
Dewey Character from the film Silent Running Entertainment [10][30]
Huey Character from the film Silent Running Entertainment [10][30]
Louie Character from the film Silent Running Entertainment [10][30]
Opportunity Mars rover developed by NASA Research [10][31]
Roomba Autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner manufactured by iRobot Education & Consumer [10][32]
Spirit Mars rover developed by NASA Research [10][31]
Terminator (T-800) Character from the Terminator franchise Entertainment [10][33]
2012 BigDog Quadrupedal military robot developed by Boston Dynamics Research [34][35]
Nao Autonomous humanoid robot manufactured by Aldebaran Robotics Education & Consumer [34][36]
PackBot Military robot developed by iRobot Industrial & Service [34][37]
WALL-E Character from the film WALL-E Entertainment [34][38]
2015 Robot (B-9) Character from the TV series Lost in Space Entertainment [39]
2017 The Iron Giant Character from the film The Iron Giant Entertainment [40]
2021 Crow T. Robot Character from the TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 Entertainment [41]
Tom Servo Character from the TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 Entertainment [41]

See also

References

  1. "Carnegie Mellon Announces Creation of The Robot Hall of Fame; Assembles a Panel of Renowned Judges to Select the First Inductees". Carnegie Mellon University. April 30, 2003. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014.
  2. "Carnegie Mellon Inducts Four Robots into Newly Established Robot Hall of Fame". Carnegie Mellon University. November 10, 2003. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013.
  3. "Robots take center stage at Pittsburgh museum". Daily American. June 6, 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014.
  4. "roboworld bids farewell®". WESA. June 13, 2022.
  5. "Floor Map - Carnegie Science Center". Carnegie Science Center.
  6. Ceceri, Kathy (September 4, 2012). "Vote for Your Favorite Nominees to the Robot Hall of Fame". Wired. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022.
  7. Poeter, Damon (August 21, 2012). "Public Can Vote on Robot Hall of Fame 2012 Class". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012.
  8. "How are Robots Selected for the Robot Hall of Fame®?". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013.
  9. Mosbergen, Dominique (August 20, 2012). "Robot Hall of Fame 2012: Vote for the Best And Most Innovative Robots in the World". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013.
  10. "Robot Hall of Fame® Inducts NAO, PackBot, BigDog and WALL-E". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021.
  11. "HAL 9000". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013.
  12. "R2-D2". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
  13. "Mars Pathfinder Sojourner Rover". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
  14. "Unimate". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013.
  15. "ASIMO". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013.
  16. "Astro Boy". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013.
  17. "C-3PO". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013.
  18. "Robby, the Robot". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
  19. "Shakey". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013.
  20. "AIBO". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013.
  21. "David". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013.
  22. "Gort". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013.
  23. "Maria". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013.
  24. "SCARA". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013.
  25. "Lt. Cmdr. Data". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013.
  26. "Lego® Mindstorms®". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013.
  27. "NavLab 5". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013.
  28. "Raibert Hopper". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013.
  29. "DaVinci Surgical System". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
  30. "Huey, Dewey and Louie". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
  31. "Spirit and Opportunity". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014.
  32. "Roomba". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014.
  33. "T-800 Terminator". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014.
  34. Heater, Brian (October 23, 2012). "Robot Hall of Fame inducts Big Dog, PackBot, Nao and WALL-E (video)". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013.
  35. "Big Dog". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014.
  36. "NAO". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
  37. "PackBot". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
  38. "WALL-E". Robot Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014.
  39. "Robot Hall of Fame". Carnegie Science Center. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015.
  40. "Robot Hall of Fame". Carnegie Science Center. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017.
  41. "Robot Hall of Fame". Carnegie Science Center. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021.