Who says robots must be built only from new, shiny materials? The following gallery includes robots that were made mostly of scrap metal.
One might say that Tal Avitzur, the creator of all of the above robots, started this whole adventure by accident. When looking for metal parts to integrate into a concrete counter top for his then newly remodeled home in Santa Barbara, he realized that brass, bronze and copper objects could successfully substitute robot body parts. After all, it is not like there is a standard for the shape and composition of robots out there.
According to Tal Avitzur, the main source of inspiration is represented by such novels as Murray Leinster’s Forgotten Planet and sci-fi series such as Lost in Space. However, the tools and appliances made in the ’50s and ’60s also seem to have played a certain role in the creation of these robots. Most of the 35 models found in the gallery are shaped as humanoids, but this is not a rule. Younger people may find that some of the robots resemble more modern characters. For example, Throttler looks a bit like Bender Bending Rodríguez from Futurama and Electro has a Star Wars C3PO feel to it. However, calling these robots copies would be far fetched, as Tal Avitzur’s originality and creativity cannot be denied.
Each of the robots from the gallery has its dimensions listed, as well as the materials from which it was made. For example, the Drillbots pictured above are 9.5 inches wide, 7.5 inches high and 6 inches deep. Besides electric drills, redwood and resin, the creator of these robots also used LEDs, which certainly make them a bit more futuristic. As a matter of fact, LEDs were included in many of Tal Avitzur’s creations. Hopefully, this will inspire more people to challenge their artistic potential and to use readily available materials for creating anything, instead of spending huge amounts of money on shiny, new stuff. In this case, the process was rather simply: all the materials were cleaned, if needed, then polished, sorted accordingly and assembled into unique pieces.
If you liked this post, please check these scrap metal cows and the scrap metal Predator.
h/t Tal Avitzur
