A 1980s toy robot arm inspired modern robotics

I remember saving birthday money and buying this at Radio Shack as a kid. It was pretty advanced for the time. Then I had the idea to try and make it remote controlled, or just fiddle with the internal electronics a bit. Joke was on me, there were no electronics, this thing was 100% mechanical. A single DC motor, and a fuck ton of gears that were engaged&#x2F;disengaged by manipulating the two joysticks.<p>This toy probably equally inspired kids to go into robotics, or to design automotive transmissions.

I would put the HERO (Heathkit Educational RObot) in both the same category and the era. [1] HERO came with &quot;an optional arm mechanism and speech synthesizer was produced for the kit form and included in the assembled form&quot;. Huge influence on my own life.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;HERO_(robot)" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;HERO_(robot)</a>

I ended up buying three of these as I was going to convert one to computer control. Last year at the ASVARO swap meet I sold the last one I had which had never been opened :-). The guy who bought it was pretty excited to have it (which is the goal of getting rid of one&#x27;s junk right?)<p>They were marvels. The only &quot;practical&quot; way to convert them was to put solenoids on the controls to drive them and it was impractical for any repeatable fine grain control. If I ever get a chance to meet the person behind that design I&#x27;d certainly buy them a round of their favorite beverage.

<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.ph&#x2F;wAqgu" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.ph&#x2F;wAqgu</a>

I spent hours playing with mine in the mid 80&#x27;s! The key takeaway - then and now - is that you can generate an incredible variety of motion with a single motor and a well designed gear-box; no software required!

I&#x27;m impressed Hiroyuki Watanabe was only 24 years old when he invented&#x2F;led this.<p>&gt; “I didn’t have a period where I studied engineering professionally. Instead, I enrolled in what Japan would call a technical high school that trains technical engineers, and I actually [entered] the electrical department there,” he told me.<p>I think this approach is sorely needed again, in the US at least.

Tandy Armatron Dissection <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.starborneworks.com&#x2F;?p=22" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.starborneworks.com&#x2F;?p=22</a>

I had this thing and loved it but it WAS SO G$DD$MN LOUD!!!!!<p>It was like the sound of a pile of silverware dumped into a garbage disposal played at full volume over an AM radio.<p>Great controls, though.

The modern version of this is LEGO SPIKE:<p>&quot;In 2020, LEGO introduced the SPIKE Prime kit as the next-generation successor to LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3, boasting upgraded hardware, a more robust processor, and an improved programming environment designed for enhanced user-friendliness and intuitiveness. Following this, in 2021, LEGO launched SPIKE Prime Essential, specifically tailored for elementary-level students, incorporating age-appropriate components like mini-figures and mini-figure props within the kit. Nevertheless, its deliberate simplicity, while catering to younger learners, results in a lack of complexity.&quot; [1]<p>[1] LEGO SPIKE Essential or SPIKE Prime?<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cmu.edu&#x2F;roboticsacademy&#x2F;spike-essential-or-prime.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cmu.edu&#x2F;roboticsacademy&#x2F;spike-essential-or-prime...</a>

A similar single motor robot hand has been made that uses electrostatic clutches instead of mechanical clutches[O].<p>[0]<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;arxiv.org&#x2F;abs&#x2F;2501.08469" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;arxiv.org&#x2F;abs&#x2F;2501.08469</a>

There was an article in i think Radio Electronics at the time to connect it to a C64.

The fact that someone has converted one to run on steam is very appropriate given that the single-power-source design was the norm for industry until the 20th century, and it&#x27;s not hard to imagine in a steampunk universe a much scaled-up, metal version of this arm in a factory, powered by a lineshaft:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Line_shaft" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Line_shaft</a>

We had one of these and it definitely sparked my long running interest in robotics. Which expanded into small scale robotics manufacturing and then onto 3d printing. I’m now playing with LLMs to discover ways to incorporate into smaller robots. More excited these days about what is to come.

Is my computer hacked or is everyone else seeing a giant subscribe banner on this page?

So I was curious about the Japanese domestic version and it was called Desk Top 144 - I&#x27;ve found a Japanese instruction paper with that name. It&#x27;s also shown here amongst a dizzying array of SKUs including a mobile unit!<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theoldrobots.com&#x2F;images6&#x2F;ar04.JPG" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theoldrobots.com&#x2F;images6&#x2F;ar04.JPG</a><p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theoldrobots.com&#x2F;armatron2.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theoldrobots.com&#x2F;armatron2.html</a>

Used to play with this. Always wanted one - my best friend had one

Is there a modern version of this as a toy for a kid?

Somewhat related to this. What would recommend for a young kid 5 and up to get start in today&#x27;s robotics. The issue today seems more like there is a lot.. which is kinda opposite to what when I was growing up ( if it existed in toy form, it was prohibitively expensive at best ).

Would it be possible to replicate this mechanism using Lego Technic bricks&#x2F;mechanisms?

Oh man, I completely forgot I had a robot arm as a kid. I had the &quot;Mobile Armatron&quot; variant:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theoldrobots.com&#x2F;armatron3.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theoldrobots.com&#x2F;armatron3.html</a>

Oh man this takes me back. Armatron and Speak-N-Spell were so great!

Any recommendation on a robotic kit that can be purchased now?

I still have the muscle memory for these controls. I was completely gobsmacked when I disassembled it and saw the concentric rings of gears. Very very cool.

Hahaha. I had one and look at that I worked in robotics and AI. Never realized that before. Toys do have impact, don&#x27;t they?

My little brother had one, circa 1985. I don&#x27;t think the educational content was all that great, compared to our Apple II+.

I’m surprised these aren’t still made!<p>I wonder how far you could get in 2025 with cnc routers&#x2F;lasers and 3d printers.

Friend had one of these. I think he got it from Radio Shack. This was right up their alley.

We still have one of these and it still works! Amazing.

Similarly driven by a single motor: furby

Mine is still in my parents&#x27; attic.