Omnibot facts for kids

The Omnibot is a cool toy robot that was first made by a company called Tomy in the mid-1980s. People hoped it would make robots popular again. Back then, advanced robots like R2-D2 were still just a dream.

The Omnibot became a very successful line of robots. A bigger, more advanced version was called the Omnibot 2000. It did not have a clear plastic dome over its head. After a tough time for electronics in the 1980s, the Omnibot faded away. But it came back in the early 2000s! The newest version of this robot is called the i-SOBOT.

What Could Omnibots Do?

Both the original Omnibot and the Omnibot 2000 had a cassette tape player. This player was built right into the robot's chest. It could slide out like a drawer. You could use it to record and play back commands for the robot. It also played regular music or audio tapes.

These robots had a digital clock with timers and alarms. This meant you could set the robot to do things at certain times. For example, it could move into your bedroom in the morning. You could also speak into the remote control. The robot would then broadcast your voice through its speaker. Both robots came with a cardboard "home" base. You could tape this to the floor. It helped the robot know where to start its programmed movements.

Carrying Things

Both the Omnibot and the Omnibot 2000 could carry light objects. The original Omnibot used a special tray. This tray fit right into its robot claws. The Omnibot 2000 had a different tray. It fit into a special moving panel. This panel could spin cups or glasses closer to the robot's arm.

Omnibot 2000 Details

The Omnibot 2000 stood about 25 inches tall. It ran on a 6-volt lead–acid battery and two AA batteries. You could control its right arm. This included its shoulder, elbow, wrist, and even its fingers. The left arm was just for posing and could not be controlled. If you lost the remote control, the robot could only use its clock and cassette player.

Other Early Omnibots

Two other robots in the Omnibot family were the Omnibot OOM and the Omniwagon. The Omnibot OOM looked like a standard Omnibot. But it had a round head. Its remote control even had a basic form of voice-control. The Omniwagon was a remote-controlled base with wheels. It had a flat top to carry objects. This unit could also follow paths drawn with black tape.

Other Robots Like Omnibot

Omnibot OOM and Hearoid

In 1985, Tomy released the Omnibot OOM. It was also sold in North America as the "Hearoid." This robot was very similar to the first Omnibot. It had a new head design. This head had a clear bubble over its face. The OOM's 'eyes' lit up like car headlights. It also had a flashing light for a 'mouth'. Its cassette player looked like a car stereo. The remote control for the OOM was more advanced. It even had simple voice control.

Robie Sr.

Radio Shack sold its own version of the Omnibot OOM in 1986. They called it "Robie Sr." It was made in Japan and South Korea. This robot was mostly the same as Tomy's OOM. However, its cassette player was like the one on the original Omnibot. It also had different sounds and colors.

Omnibot Jr. and Charmmy

The Omnibot Jr. was also known as the "Charmmy." This robot was about 10.5 inches tall. It was remote-controlled and had a tray you could attach. It looked a lot like the first Omnibot. Radio Shack also sold it as the Robie Jr.

The Omnibot Jr. had microphones on its head. These could hear a special sound from the remote control. This helped Charmmy figure out where the controller was. It could even navigate around corners to find it! The Omnibot Jr. also had a sensor to avoid bumping into things. This sensor, along with arm sensors, could trigger recorded messages. For example, it would speak if it bumped into an object or if something was placed on its tray.

Verbot and KI*KU*ZO

The classic Omnibot had a smaller, cheaper cousin called the Verbot. In Japan, it was known as the KI*KU*ZO. At nine inches tall, the Verbot was a mid-sized robot. It looked a bit like the Omnibot but had fewer features. The Verbot also came with a wireless remote control. You could use voice commands to operate it. You could program up to eight commands.

The Verbot could move forward, backward, left, and right. It could also pick up small objects. This was a cool feature that many toy robots of that time did not have. The robot showed some personality by blinking and smiling. One downside was that it was quite noisy. Also, you had to reprogram it every time you turned it on. Like other Omnibots, its white plastic body could turn yellow if left in the sun.

The Verbot was actually quite clever inside. It used just one motor for all its movements. It had a complex set of gears for picking up objects. To program the Verbot, you pushed a button on its front. You held it down while speaking a command into the remote control. Then you released the button. If you lost the remote, the Verbot could not be used fully. But some hobbyists have found ways to use old walkie-talkies to give it voice commands.

Omnibots Today

Today, many hobbyists enjoy "hacking" and improving their old Omnibots. They add new features like special sensors, video cameras, and voice recognition chips. They also put in stronger motors and microcontrollers. These upgrades were not possible when the robots were first made in the 1980s.

In the early 2000s, a modified Omnibot was part of a robot on the US TV show Battlebots. This robot was called Dr. Inferno Jr.. It won several awards in the competition's "Lightweight Division." The Omnibot part of the robot had no dome. Its arms were replaced with twin saws.

An Omnibot 2000 was also a character on the TV show How I Met Your Mother. This robot appeared in flashbacks to Robin Scherbatsky's teenage years in Canada. It was her constant sidekick. The robot was seen on her TV show Space Teens and in her music videos. The robot also appeared in the "present day" parts of the show. It danced next to Robin when she sang "The Beaver Song."

i-SOBOT: The New Generation

In 2006, Tomy and Takara joined together. Soon after, they showed off a new Omnibot. It was first called "Omnibot 2007: i-SOBOT." Later, its official name became "Omnibot 17μ: i-SOBOT" in Japan. In the U.S., it was simply called "i-SOBOT." The "μ" stands for micron, which refers to the tiny parts inside its motors.

The i-SOBOT went on sale in Japan in October 2007. It was blue and white and spoke Japanese. An English-speaking version, black and grey, came out first in the U.S. in September 2007.

The i-SOBOT has a Guinness World Record. It is certified as "the world's smallest humanoid robot in production." It has 17 special servo-motors. You can control it with an infrared remote or by voice commands. It can speak hundreds of words and phrases. It also has nearly 200 actions already programmed. You can even program more actions yourself using the remote control. The i-SOBOT can walk on two legs. In 2013, Tomy released a new robot called i-SODOG.

See also

In Spanish: Omnibot para niños

• Topo, another robot from the same time.
• '80s Robot, a similar looking Muppet character.
• Cassette tape