he museum itself is in the basement of a
massive robot-oriented retail store. Photo
3 shows just one shelf of robotic products.
If you are in Madrid and don’t have a lot
of time, at least visit the store. The variety
and number of robots available will
dissipate any doubts that you might have
about the viability of hobby robotics.
Browsing the store is free and entry to the museum is
less than $5 for adults.
The Robot Museum contains many specimens that
jarred memories from the past. Examples include the Heath
Kit Hero 1 shown in Photo 4 and the Omnibot 2000 from
Tomy in Photo 5. There is also an impressive number of
smaller robot toys (see examples in Photo 6).
The museum’s collection also includes more current
robots such as a nonfunctional — but life-sized — Honda
Azimo (Photo 7) and Aldebaran’s NAO (Photo 8).
Many of the robots are demonstrated during the tour,
but it is worth mentioning that the guide only spoke
Spanish. Even with the language barrier, it did not diminish
the joy of watching NAO tell stories (even the robot spoke
Spanish) to some of the local kids, or the smiles from the
parents as numerous robots performed synchronized
dances while a robotic dog hiked its leg inappropriately.
The Robot Museum might not overshadow your
memories of other Spanish museums such as the Prado or
the Guggenheim, but if you are a true robot enthusiast
traveling in Europe, it is certainly worth the price of
admission. SV
Recently, my wife and I made our first trip to Europe. During the planning
stages, we discovered a Robot Museum in Madrid, Spain (see Photos 1 and
2) and naturally, it became a destination we could not pass up. The Museum
was founded in 2013 by Daniel Bayon and Pablo Medrano, so it is a relatively
new addition to the many attractions available in Madrid.
36 SERVO 12.2015
Spain’s
Robot Museum
T
Photo 1.
By John Blankenship
Photo 2.
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