TheRobot Hall of Fame, established in 2003 byCarnegie Mellon University inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, honors significantrobots in science, society, and technology. As of 2025, 34 real and fictional robots have been inducted.
The organization was established by the CMU'sSchool 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 deanJames 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 theKamin 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]
| Year | Name | Description | Category | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | HAL 9000 | Character from the film2001: A Space Odyssey | Entertainment | [10][11] |
| R2-D2 | Character from theStar Wars franchise | Entertainment | [10][12] | |
| Sojourner | Mars rover developed byNASA | Research | [10][13] | |
| Unimate | Industrial robot developed byGeorge Devol andJoseph Engelberger; first industrial robot | Industrial & Service | [10][14] | |
| 2004 | ASIMO | Humanoid robot developed byHonda | Research | [10][15] |
| Astro Boy | Character from theAstro Boy franchise | Entertainment | [10][16] | |
| C-3PO | Character from theStar Wars franchise | Entertainment | [10][17] | |
| Robby the Robot | Character from the filmForbidden Planet | Entertainment | [10][18] | |
| Shakey | Mobile robot developed by theStanford Research Institute; first mobile robot able to reason about its own actions | Research | [10][19] | |
| 2006 | AIBO | Robotic pet manufactured bySony | Education & Consumer | [10][20] |
| David | Character from the filmA.I. Artificial Intelligence | Entertainment | [10][21] | |
| Gort | Character from the filmThe Day the Earth Stood Still | Entertainment | [10][22] | |
| Maria | Character from the filmMetropolis | Entertainment | [10][23] | |
| SCARA | Industrialrobotic arm developed by theUniversity of Yamanashi | Industrial & Service | [10][24] | |
| 2008 | Data | Character from theStar Trek franchise | Entertainment | [10][25] |
| Lego Mindstorms | Robot kit toy series manufactured bythe Lego Group | Education & Consumer | [10][26] | |
| Navlab 5 | Autonomousrobotic vehicle developed by theCarnegie Mellon School of Computer Science | Research | [10][27] | |
| Raibert Hopper | Hopping robot developed byMarc Raibert; first self-balancing hopping robot | Research | [10][28] | |
| 2010 | da Vinci Surgical System | Robotic surgical system manufactured byIntuitive Surgical | Industrial & Service | [10][29] |
| Dewey | Character from the filmSilent Running | Entertainment | [10][30] | |
| Huey | Character from the filmSilent Running | Entertainment | [10][30] | |
| Louie | Character from the filmSilent Running | Entertainment | [10][30] | |
| Opportunity | Mars rover developed byNASA | Research | [10][31] | |
| Roomba | Autonomousrobotic vacuum cleaner manufactured byiRobot | Education & Consumer | [10][32] | |
| Spirit | Mars rover developed byNASA | Research | [10][31] | |
| Terminator (T-800) | Character from theTerminator franchise | Entertainment | [10][33] | |
| 2012 | BigDog | Quadrupedalmilitary robot developed byBoston Dynamics | Research | [34][35] |
| Nao | Autonomoushumanoid robot manufactured by Aldebaran Robotics | Education & Consumer | [34][36] | |
| PackBot | Military robot developed byiRobot | Industrial & Service | [34][37] | |
| WALL-E | Character from the filmWALL-E | Entertainment | [34][38] | |
| 2015 | Robot (B-9) | Character from the TV seriesLost in Space | Entertainment | [39] |
| 2017 | The Iron Giant | Character from the filmThe Iron Giant | Entertainment | [40] |
| 2021 | Crow T. Robot | Character from the TV seriesMystery Science Theater 3000 | Entertainment | [41] |
| Tom Servo | Character from the TV seriesMystery Science Theater 3000 | Entertainment | [41] |
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