The pair banter
back and forth, first in familiar metallic robot voices,
then in those of WPTV meteorologists Steve Weagle and Dean
Tendrich.
Robby, from the
1956 classic Forbidden Planet ("I was really the
star of the film"), teases B9 about his nemesis, Dr.
Smith, from the 1965-68 television series. "That
bubbleheaded boobie," B9 says of Smith.
The pair repeat
some of their memorable lines. B9: "Danger, Will
Robinson, danger!" and "I am not programmed for
babysitting." Robby: "My beams are focused on your
blaster," and "I am giving myself an oil
job."
The two-robot
shtick is just what science museum officials hope will draw
thousands to the $113,000 exhibit created by the Carnegie
Science Center. Robby and B9 are provided by HighTechScience.org
of Boca. Former science museum director Ed Sobey donated
the use of his Robot Rodeo.
"This is an
exponential leap in the quality of exhibits we've brought
in, and we're committed to high level exhibits for the next
three years," said exhibits director Pete Feher. By
then, the museum hopes to be close to moving into the new
$54.8 million Dekelboum Science Center.
The exhibit
features more than two dozen interactive stations. Visitors
can race an industrial robot to find three keys among many
to open three locks. The robot usually wins, given its
sophisticated visual ability to recognize the ridges in each
key.
Another robot
challenges visitors to fool its motion sensing system. Try
to control a mechanical arm to perform a simple task.
The exhibits are
designed to demonstrate how robots work and the difficulty
in designing a mechanism to perform a simple task. Visitors
can design a robot to their own specifications.
Visitors try to
tie shoes with a mechanical hand, while a robot heckles from
nearby. "What's so easy for people do is enormously
difficult for a robot to perform," Feher said.
"But a robot can perform the same task perfectly time
after time, 24/7."
Bob May, who
played B9 in the Lost in Space series, will be at the
museum this weekend. Internet visitors can view the gallery
in real time through the eyes of a robot designed by Jupiter
Cybernetics. Visit www.sfsm.org and follow the link.