Sep 20, 2016 7:25 AM

Gallery: Rebuilding Eric, the UK's first robot

Eric will be on display at the Science Museum from October 20 to November 16

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

WIRED / Matt Burgess
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Eric, the UK's oldest robot, has been rebuilt in South London by artist Giles Walker
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The robot has been significantly upgraded compared to his 1928 predecessor

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He was rebuilt from just a handful of original newspaper cuttings and video clips
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The robot is due to go on display at the Science Museum in October

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Walker has tried to give the robot the same look and feel as the original creation
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This same look includes using the original specifications and materials. Aluminum is used for the outer shell of the robot

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Eric is capable of standing up from a sitting down position, when finished he will sit on a wooden box
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The writing inside the robot allows it to move, originally a system of gears and pulleys would have given Eric the ability to move

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The wiring and power input power seven 12 volt linear actuators that allow Eric to move
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Walker has added elbows to the robot, allowing him to move in a slightly different way to the original

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Overall, Eric has taken three months to recreate
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He is controlled with a pre-programmed computer code, which is similar to the software used to control lighting in theatres

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Once complete, Eric will be on display at the Science Museum, be part of a 2017 exhibition and go on a tour around the world
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Inside the robot are a number of speakers that let it emit sound

Matt Burgess is a senior writer at WIRED focused on information security, privacy, and data regulation in Europe. He graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in journalism and now lives in London. Send tips to [email protected]. ... Read More

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