Oldest Remote robot?

[SAL]

Hi all, just wondering what is the oldest (mass manufactured) remote controlled toy robot? My guess, by looking at the alphadrome database, is it’s the 1955 Masudaya Electric Remote Control Robot. Is there an older one?

[robothut]

Some where on Alphadrome there is a thread with a electric remote controlled Robot truck toy, that I think Joe K. first posted about. I do not recall the name or the date, but I think it was from the 1930's.

Also, there are the Mechnano build sets that made robots with electric motors if you want to count things that you assemble.

[SAL]

Thanks John, but I was only really interested in mass production toy robots. Like we all agree that Lilliput was the first mass produced wind up toy robot. I guess the first remote robot would’ve also been the first battery robot too?

[David Kirk]

Robert had a battery for his light, though he had a sort of remote as well - just not electrical. He was 1954, I think.

 

[SAL]

Good one, thanks David. I guess Robert pretty much covers my criteria, even though Robert wasn’t really battery powered.

 

Was reading this and it mentions that “it was the Japanese, who, in 1955, introduced the first battery powered robot”, but doesn’t go on to mention which robot.

[robothut]

The robot truck that is electrically powered and remote control that I mentioned was mass produced. Hopefully Joe will read this thread and repost his info from the past.

[Joe K.]

More of a robot toy than a toy robot, it did have a neat image of a robot driver. First seen in a 1932 catalog.

 

[David Kirk]

That is a serious looking transformer. The plug looks like it's for an iron or a waffle maker. As a robot toy, I suppose it qualifies, but it's a paper-thin robot connection. I wish they'd made the driver out of pressed steel too.

[Andyman]

1 hour ago, David Kirk said:

That is a serious looking transformer. The plug looks like it's for an iron or a waffle maker. As a robot toy, I suppose it qualifies, but it's a paper-thin robot connection. I wish they'd made the driver out of pressed steel too.

I see what you did there, David.

[SAL]

Thanks guys, a little “off spec” but interesting anyway. “Paper thin” indeed!

[SAL]

So I just had a good look through the Alphadrome database and the below are the three oldest battery stand-alone robots (two with remotes), with supplied manufacture dates. If we disregard Robert (sorry David) then it’s a draw between the Zoomer and the R35 - with the R35 having a remote. Not a conclusive study, but looks about right.

 

 

[Eagle]

OK,,,who has it !!! Reminds me of my old plug-in erector set motor . That motor attached to a built crane would haul a cat up to a third story window ..That experiment lasted until the cat passed the window where mom was doing dishes ....

 

 

 

[Lunik]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:21 AM, SAL said:

Was reading this a…

I’ve enjoyed reading this article from Collector‘s Weekly. A nice brief overview of (toy) robot history. Just two comments, although I am afraid these details have already become notoriously reproduced errors, part of a legend in the toy robot world:

 

- Atomic Robot Man toys most probably have not been given away at the 1950 New York sci-fi convention. The toys referred had been imprinted as being „Souvenir of the New York Science Fiction Conference“. This first assumption seemed to be likely as long as we did not know of Martin Greenberg telling about little robots from Japan he gave to librarians at the opportunity of bookseller and library conventions, to draw their attention to sci-fi topics. This was, when Gnome Press published „I, Robot‘. Greenberg was one owner of Gnome Press, David Kyle, the other owner, confirmed he created the „Souvenir …“ label on the robots. Find the whole story here:

 

- Lilliput Robot, 1937/38, actually is considered the first tin toy robot that was serially produced for the consumer market. This always sounds a bit like the beginning of it all, while in fact the Meccano Ltd., Liverpool, UK, had developed and successfully marketed their „Robot, or Mechanical Man“ in 1930. Inherent to Meccano‘s technology this was no toddler‘s little plaything but pretty heavy, standing 21.5“ high, steel, electrical drive powered via transformer on the mains and had to be assembled by the customer. What else could we have expected from Meccano, producer of construction sets?

@Eagle: another 1930s electrical gear with transformer, funny story about the cat.

 

SAL, I am aware you are looking for the first remotely controled robot. This is no contribution to your search. Just, everytime it comes to historical overviews like this article, I think it is a shame if they miss the Meccano Robot from 1930. Maybe I should post another topic for this point.

Also I am not very happy this site, the no. 1 source in this area, seems to have an issue updating the picture database. Even here the entry for the Meccano is missing. Joe K. suggested, I should go ahead and add my picture but I don‘t have the privileges. -  I have at least added a timeline entry.

 

[SAL]

Thanks for that Lunik, all very interesting. Sorry about the delayed response, have been away.