LEGO Ideas Motorized Johnny 5 Is Alive!

Short Circuit is one of those classic movies that every self-respecting geek should see at some point in their lives. After all, the star of the show is Number 5, aka Johnny 5, a charming and inquisitive robot who craves input and understanding from the human world. It’s kind of like the pre-cursor to CHAPPiE, with its main character being a killer military robot who ends up finding its human side. If you love Johnny 5 too, you’ll want to vote for this fan-submitted LEGO design based on the movie robot.

This LEGO Johnny 5 model was designed by RJ BrickBuilds and features a motorized drivetrain using LEGO Powered Up motors. In addition, Johnny’s body, arms, head, and laser module can all be controlled using the Powered Up app. You can also pose his eyebrows, though you’ll need to do that manually. Just don’t ever try to disassemble him!

The model consists of 2,711 pieces, measures an impressive 23.2″ tall, and tips the scales at 6.24 pounds. You can show your support for the LEGO Johnny 5 kit by voting on the LEGO Ideas website. Hopefully, he’ll get enough votes to be considered for production by the LEGO powers-that-be.

Johnny 5 LEGO Ideas Kit Needs Your Input

One of my all-time favorite movies from when I was a kid was Short Circuit. For you Millennials who weren’t even around in 1986, Short Circuit is a movie about a laser wielding military robot that gets struck by lightning and becomes a cute sentient robot that I’m pretty sure Wall-E was based on. 13-year-old me loved that movie something fierce and I rented the VHS tape more times than I can count growing up. The flick even spawned one of the catchiest songs of 1986 by El DeBarge (or is it just DeBarge? I was never sure) that will be stuck in my mind all day now.

Over on the LEGO Ideas site, A genius going by the name Jarda Svoboda has posted a LEGO version of Johnny 5, and it totally tugs on those ’80s nostalgia heart strings something fierce.

The model is 30cm (~11.81″)  tall and the builder made it because he also loved the movie as does his son. It needs your votes, because this has to be made into an official kit so go vote.

And for the record 1986 was absolutely one of the best years ever for movies, we had Aliens, Top Gun, Stand by Me, Platoon, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Labyrinth, Big Trouble in Little China, Pretty in Pink, Highlander, Howard the Duck, The Wraith, Crocodile Dundee, Short Circuit, Back to School, Flight of the Navigator, Three Amigos, Maximum Overdrive, The Karate Kid II, Rad, Iron Eagle, Space Camp, Raw Deal and others.

Basically all of my favorite ’80s films came out in ’86. Notice these aren’t all remakes and reboots like we see today. Also, I’m pretty sure that El DeBarge and Bruno Mars are the same person.

Robot Hall of Fame inducts Big Dog, PackBot, Nao and WALL-E (video)

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It's the sort of ceremony that's so magical it can only occur on even-numbered years. Inventors, educators, entertainers, college students and media folk gathered at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA tonight for the 2012 inductions to the Robot Hall of Fame, a Carnegie Mellon-sponsored event created to celebrate the best of our mechanical betters.

This year, the field included four categories, judged by both a jury of 107 writers, designs, entrepreneurs and academics and the public at large, each faction constituting half the voting total. The show kicked off, however, with the induction of 2010 winners, the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers, the da Vinci Surgical System, iRobot's Roomba, the Terminator and Huey, Dewey and Louie, a trio of robots from 1971's Silent Running.

The first 'bot to secure its spot in the class of 2012, was the programmable humaoid Nao, from Aldebaran Robotics, which beat out the iRobot Create and Vex Robotics Design System in the Educational category. The PackBot military robot from iRobot took the Industrial and Service category, beating out the Kiva Mobile Robotic Fulfillment System and Woods Hole Oceanographic's Jason. Boston Dynamic's Big Dog ran over some stiff competition in the form of Willow Garage's PR2 and NASA's Robonaut to win the Research title. And WALL-E triumphed over doppelganger Johnny Five and the Jetsons' Rosie in the Entertainment category. Relive the festivities in four minutes after the break.

Continue reading Robot Hall of Fame inducts Big Dog, PackBot, Nao and WALL-E (video)

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Robot Hall of Fame inducts Big Dog, PackBot, Nao and WALL-E (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robot Hall of Fame voting begins for class of 2012, Johnny 5 learns where BigDogs sit

Robot Hall of Fame voting begins for class of 2012, Johnny 5 learns where BigDogs sitIt's that time again: time for Carnegie Mellon to roll out the red carpet and welcome the crème de la crème of the robotics world into its halls. Since 2003 the school has been selecting the best of the best and inducting them into the Robot Hall of Fame. Past honorees have included everything from LEGO Mindstorms to the Terminator. This year's list of nominees is no less impressive, with celebrity bots Johnny 5 and WALL-E pitted against each other in the entertainment category, while NASA's Robonaut takes on the PR2 and BigDog under the banner of research bots. There will also be two other inductees awarded a spot in the hall in the consumer and education category and the industrial and service field. Best of all, for the first time ever, Carnegie Mellon is letting the public vote on the inductees. And, while PETMAN was snubbed yet again, he's not letting that get him down -- the Boston Dymanic's biped just keeps on struttin'. Hit up the source link to cast your vote before the September 30th deadline and check back on October 23rd to see who's granted a podium speech.

Continue reading Robot Hall of Fame voting begins for class of 2012, Johnny 5 learns where BigDogs sit

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Robot Hall of Fame voting begins for class of 2012, Johnny 5 learns where BigDogs sit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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