Robot Hall of Fame
Organization established by Carnegie Mellon University
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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
| 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] |