Omnibot facts for kids

The Omnibot is a cool toy robot that was first made by a company called Tomy in the 1980s. These robots became very popular! People hoped the Omnibot would bring back excitement for robots, especially since super smart robots like R2-D2 were still a dream. Later, a more advanced robot called the Omnibot 2000 came out. It didn't have a plastic bubble over its head like the first one. The Omnibot robots were a big hit, and the company made many different kinds. After a tough time for electronics in the mid-1980s, the Omnibot faded away. But it came back in the early 2000s! The newest version of the Omnibot is called the i-SOBOT.

Both the original Omnibot and the Omnibot 2000 had a cassette tape player built into their chest. This part slid out like a drawer. You could use it to record and play back commands for the robot. It could also play regular music or audio. A built-in digital clock with timers let you set the robot to do things at certain times. For example, it could move into your bedroom in the morning! Both robots could also broadcast your voice from the remote control through a speaker on the robot. They even came with a cardboard "home" base to tape to the floor. This base helped you program the robot's movements.

What Could Omnibots Do?

Both the Omnibot and the Omnibot 2000 could carry light objects. The first Omnibot used a special tray that fit into its claws. The Omnibot 2000 had a tray that fit into a special "accessory panel" that could spin. This made it easy to bring cups or glasses within reach of its arm.

The Omnibot 2000 was about 25 inches (63.5 cm) tall. It ran on a 6-volt lead–acid battery and two AA batteries. You could control its right arm, moving its shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers. The left arm was just for posing. If you lost the remote control for an Omnibot, the robot couldn't do much. It could only use its clock and cassette player functions.

Other Robots in the Omnibot Family

Tomy made other robots in the Omnibot series too.

Omnibot OOM and Hearoid

The Omnibot OOM came out in 1985. It looked a lot like the standard Omnibot. But it had a round head with a bubble lens over its face. Its "eyes" lit up like car headlights. It also had a flashing light for a "mouth." The OOM's cassette player looked more like a car stereo. Its remote control was more advanced and even had a simple form of voice control. In North America, this robot was sold as the "Hearoid."

Robie Sr.

Radio Shack also sold their own version of the Omnibot OOM/Hearoid in 1986. They called it "Robie Sr." It was mostly the same robot. However, its cassette panel was like the original Omnibot's. It also had different sounds and colors.

Omnibot Jr. "Charmmy" and Robie Jr.

The Omnibot Jr., also known as "Charmmy," was a smaller robot. It was about 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) tall and came with a tray. It looked similar to the original Omnibot. Radio Shack sold it as the Robie Jr. This robot had microphones on its head. These microphones could hear a special sound from the remote. This helped Charmmy figure out where the controller was. It could even navigate around corners to find you! The Omnibot Jr. also had a sensor to help it avoid bumping into things. This sensor, along with arm sensors, could trigger recorded messages if it bumped something or if an item was placed on its tray.

Verbot and KI*KU*ZO

The classic Omnibot had a smaller, cheaper friend called the Verbot. In Japan, it was known as the KI*KU*ZO. At nine inches (22.9 cm) tall, the Verbot was a mid-sized robot. It looked a bit like the Omnibot but had fewer features. The Verbot came with a wireless remote control that used voice commands. You could program up to eight commands. The Verbot could move forward, backward, left, and right. It could also pick up small objects, which was a cool feature for toy robots back then. The robot even showed some personality by blinking and smiling!

Some downsides of the Verbot were that it was noisy. You had to reprogram it every time you turned it on. Also, like other Omnibots, its white plastic body would turn yellow if left in the sun. The Verbot was actually quite complex inside. It used just one motor for all its movements and a clever set of gears for picking up objects. To program the Verbot, you pressed a button on its front, spoke a command into the remote, and then released the button. If you lost the remote, the Verbot couldn't do everything it was designed for. However, some hobbyists have found ways to use old walkie-talkies to control them.

Omnibots Today

Today, many robot fans enjoy "hacking" and improving their old Omnibots. They add new features like sensors, video cameras, and stronger motors. They also add advanced parts that weren't available in the 1980s.

An old Omnibot was even used in the TV show Battlebots in the early 2000s. A robot named Dr. Inferno Jr. used parts from an Omnibot. It won several awards in the competition! This Battlebot didn't have the dome on top, and its arms were replaced with 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 sidekick on her TV show Space Teens and in her music videos. The robot even showed up in the "present day" parts of the show, dancing with Robin.

i-SOBOT: The Newest Omnibot

In 2006, a new Omnibot was shown off. It was first called "Omnibot 2007: i-SOBOT." Later, it was officially named "Omnibot 17μ: i-SOBOT" in Japan and simply "i-SOBOT" in the U.S. The "μ" (mu) stands for micron, which refers to the tiny motors inside.

The i-SOBOT has been recognized by Guinness World Records as "the world's smallest humanoid robot in production." It has 17 special servo-motors. You can control it with an IR remote control or with voice commands. It can say hundreds of words and phrases. It also has nearly 200 pre-programmed actions. You can even program more actions yourself using the remote! The i-SOBOT can walk on two legs, just like a person.

See also

In Spanish: Omnibot para niños

• Topo, another robot from the same time, made for homes and schools.
• '80s Robot, a similar-looking Muppet character.
• Cassette tape