By Debra Kaufman
As Fred Barton will tell you, the Czech playwright Karel Capek coined the term robot exactly 75 years ago. Barton can tell you most anything about robots - the 40-year-old collector, who as a teenager restored the original Robby the Robot (from Forbidden Planet), quit his day job 10 years ago to devote himself full time to his obsession. He has rebuilt R2-D2, B-9 (from TV's Lost in Space), and others for his own collection of famous Hollywood automatons. Last year he went commercial, and so far he's sold more than a half dozen replicas of Robby. At US$75,000 apiece, the top-of-the-line remote-controlled machines gesture, speak, and even re-enact movie scenes. Barton just inked a deal to sell the lower-end Robby at FAO Schwartz. If you want to check out the full collection, visit Barton's robot museum at www.the-robotman.com/.
ELECTRIC WORD
The Roboteer
