Tony Dyson & R2-D2

For many of us, R2-D2 was one of the first "real" robots we wanted to "get to know" as a robot friend or buddy (sorry C3P0, you were just too opinionated). Tony Dyson was the master builder of R2-D2, and he passed away this past March 4, 2016 at the young age of 68. We would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his inspirational robotic creation.

Tony Dyson R2D2

The name "R2-D2" is known worldwide; the plucky little droid captured our hearts in the first Star Wars movie (Episode IV - A New Hope) and has been included in every Star Wars film since. Despite not communicating in English, R2-D2 was able to express a wide array of emotions through beeps and chirps, movement and other mannerisms - almost to the point of being sentient. R2-D2 was in fact remotely controlled (as you may have suspected) and several units were made: two units had a seat for an actor, and two units were intended to be destroyed. Many enthusiasts have re-created R2-D2 at home and even put their own spin on the design.

Kenny Baker in R2D2

In the latest Star Wars Film, R2-D2 played a much smaller role, and the BB-8, created by Orbotix took center stage. The designs are certainly related, with the hemisphere dome top and main black camera "eye" (and even smaller secondary camera / projector). Rather than two drive wheels, BB-8's locomotion was quite different - a sphere which could move in any direction. Robots will continue to play a major role in cinema and toys will undoubtedly be created to help market them. Reality is catching up with fiction.

BB-8 Toy

Tony's legacy is not limited to R2-D2 as he owned the White Horse Toy Company, worked on a variety of other movies including Superman 2 and designed and built robots for Sony, Philips and Toshiba. Thank you Tony. Tony Dyson's personal page is still up, so feel free to take a look at tonydyson.com Source: bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35724496