Engineered Arts Ltd · entertainment humanoid
RoboThespian
A life-size, stationary performing humanoid with over 30 axes of movement, used to act, sing and talk to visitors. Engineered Arts later built Ameca (2022).
- Price
- $88,000Cheaper than 19%
- Height
- 175 cmTaller than 73%
- Weight
- 33 kgHeavier than 18%
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- —Not published
- Battery
- —Not published
Not for sale: No longer listed on Engineered Arts' site (RoboThespian product URL returns 404); current range is Ameca, Mesmer and desktop robots.
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Why it matters
One of the first humanoid robots sold commercially as a museum and science-centre performer.
Real-world use
More than 50 permanently installed worldwide, including Questacon (Australia), Copernicus Science Centre (Poland) and the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.
Timeline
- Released
- 2005
Maker
Engineered Arts LtdCompany · founded 2004 · Falmouth, United KingdomHow it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
RoboThespian is taller than 73% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
RoboThespian is heavier than 18% of the 277 other humanoids that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
RoboThespian costs less than 19% of the 85 other humanoids that publish a price. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: speed, payload, joints, battery.
What it has been shown doing
We checked public videos and press for RoboThespian and found no clear demo of the skills we track yet.
Public attention
How much public attention RoboThespian gets, from open data.
- No Wikipedia article of its own yet
- 1 news story from reputable press listed on this page
- about 60 units or vehicles reported by the maker or press (may be a company-wide total)
- 5 reported deployments
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-14; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Movement
- Stationary
- Actuators & motors
- Festo DMSP pneumatic fluidic muscles drive the major movements; six DC motors and 31 powered axes in the version described in 2009 (Control Engineering Europe, 2009).
- Hands
- Two arms with jointed fingers used for gestures; no grip specification published.
- Sensors & vision
- Cameras and infrared depth sensors for gesture and pose recognition.
- Compute
- Single-board computer with an Intel dual-core CPU, two Marvell XScale PXA270 CPUs and five Parallax Propeller microcontrollers; an external Intel Core i7 control unit.
- Battery & power
- No battery: runs from a 24 V DC supply and an air compressor.
- Materials & build
- Aluminium chassis and vacuum-formed PET body shell; 5 ft 9 in tall, 33 kg (The Register, 2010).
- AI & software
- Linux (Gentoo and Ubuntu) with Engineered Arts' own core software, OpenNI and Python scripts; later managed through Engineered Arts' Tritium OS, Tinman telepresence and IOServe tools.
- Other details
- LCD-screen eyes; speaks more than 30 languages.
Lineage
Every Engineered Arts humanoid in order.
Watch RoboThespian
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- $88,000US$88,000 for the standard model (undated)
- How to get one
- Not for saleNo longer listed on Engineered Arts' site (RoboThespian product URL returns 404); current range is Ameca, Mesmer and desktop robots.
- Sold or delivered
- More than 60 robots worldwide, mainly in museums, universities or permanent displays (Festo).
- Where it is sold or used
- Worldwide, including the US, Australia, Poland and France
- Customers and pilots
- NASA Kennedy Space Center, Questacon, Copernicus Science Centre, Futuroscope; academic users including UCL, UNC Chapel Hill and Bristol Robotics Laboratory
Where it works
5 reported deployments.
- Deployed
NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex · Kennedy Space Center · Merritt Island · since 2010-09
NASA bought a RoboThespian in 2010 to greet visitors at the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex. One of more than 50 permanent RoboThespian installations worldwide The Register
- Trial ended
Questacon · Questacon - National Science and Technology Centre · Canberra · since 2011-03
Questacon in Canberra had a RoboThespian, Robo Q, on its floor from March 2011 until it retired in March 2024. One of more than 50 permanent RoboThespian installations worldwide Retired in March 2024. Questacon
- Deployed
Copernicus Science Centre · Copernicus Science Centre · Warsaw · since 2010 · 3 units
Warsaw's Copernicus Science Centre runs a robot theatre show with three RoboThespians. Three robots in a 'Theatre of Robots' stage show Culture.pl (Adam Mickiewicz Institute)
- Deployed
Museum of Science and Industry · Museum of Science and Industry · Chicago · since 2017-05
Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry used a RoboThespian to greet visitors to its Robot Revolution exhibit. One of more than 50 permanent RoboThespian installations worldwide WTTW News
- Deployed
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum · Thinktank · Birmingham
Birmingham's Thinktank science museum had a RoboThespian by 2011. One of more than 50 permanent RoboThespian installations worldwide Computerworld (IDG News Service)
News
The latest 1, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Shake hands with a robot
Control Engineering Europe describes the first RoboThespian generation's January 2005 development for the Eden Project's Mechanical Theatre and subsequent interactive versions.
Control Engineering Europe
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
Photos and logos only identify each robot and its maker. Simbeing is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsing any company, and nothing here is advertising. Figures are for statistics only and are not advice of any kind. Terms of use