As promised, we couldn't wait to show you the work of Hauke Scheer and his company Scheer Imagination. This U.R.I.-NAL 9000 is astounding in its detail and we are so pleased that Hauke sent us one all the way from Germany to keep us company. Made of resin, this will surely be a collector's item.
Because we suspected that Hauke was as much into robots as we are, we decided to ask him a few questions and found that his talent and sense of humor are certainly worth the read.
I understand U.R.I. is a limited edition?
Yes, this medium grey colored variant is limited to 50 figures. However if they sell well I will produce more figures with different colors variations. Those will probably have higher production numbers so the medium grey variant will be the most valuable over time.
Is there a real U.R.I.-NAL 9000?
Unfortunately, no. I designed this character simply to be a fun toy figure. However a lot of people have told me they would love to have a real working one. So if there is some robot company out there that would be interested in producing a real one, I would love to hear from them. :-)
Do you foresee one in the future?
Well, you never know. It would be fun having hundreds of urinals walking through town on a Saturday night.
What was your inspiration?
I actually made another toilet robot before. That one was just meant to be a spoof on those cute Disney characters that are made from household items, like the ones in 'Beauty and the Beast.' However, I was always a little dissatisfied with that one because apart from being funny, the design did not make much sense. I decided to give it another try and come up with something that would kind of work in the real world. So the idea for the U.R.I.-NAL 9000 was born.
Will you be making any future robot figures?
Sure. I love robots and cyborgs and those will always be part of my work. The latest robot I created was the Flying Fridgebot from my Bionic Bjoern Figure Series. A prototype figure for that one is currently in development. The fridge will actually open and close and have some beer cans in it.
How did your career in the arts start?
I studied 3D modeling at the Vancouver Film School. Afterwards, I worked on a couple of small computer games as well as in advertisement. But during all that time I was always working on personal projects as well creating several of the characters I am now selling as figures on my website.
How long have you been an artist?
I have created science fiction and fantasy characters since I was in my teens. I started 3D modeling in my twenties when I was at university. My professional career started when I went to Vancouver Film School.
Do you make each one or just the first?
All the figures are actually sculpted and produced by a professional toy company in China. I send them various pictures of my 3D art so they can sculpt the figures to my designs. I wrote an article on the whole process a little while ago that can still be found in the notes sections of my Facebook page.
How does one make something out of resin?
Basically you have to create a silicone mold from your original sculpture and then you can start casting away in resin. You can get both the silicone for making the mold and the resin for casting in most art shops. Since you do not need expensive steel molds like you do with plastic figures, resin is used both by large manufacturers as well as hobby modelers.
Do you still do work for video games and advertisements?
At the moment I am concentrating on my own work and getting my figure business up and running properly. However, I am always interested in cool projects in either the video game or the advertisement industry.
What will be your next creation?
I am currently working on a series of animations for my Bionic Bjoern figure series. This one and others can be seen here. I will create various friends and enemies of Bionic Bjoern for these animations. However most of them exist currently only in my mind. :-)
How can your fans get in touch with you?
You can buy my figures here.
My art can be seen on this site.
If people want to get updated on upcoming figures they can become a fan of my company Scheer Imagination on Facebook.
Or they can just email me at: contact(at)scheer-imagination.com.
Thanks for your time and U.R.I, Hauke. Best of luck in all your endeavors!
Our bud Mike has put his line of Slobots on sale. We always say to get out of this recession you have to give back to the US, so this might be a perfect time to adopt your very own Slobotnik.
We are not sure if this is very kewl art or terribly wrong. Canadian Rob Spence lost an eye in his teens and now, with the help of some buds, has developed a prosthetic one that can broadcast video and will become a public feed. The device consists of a 1.5mm low-res cam, a small circuit board, video transmitter and a microbattery that Spence says can be recharged via his laptop's USB.
KumoTek Robotics has launched an interactive robotics exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum. It features several dinosaurs built by Japan's Kokoro that respond to each visitor in a different way. The star of the show is RoboSUE, a Tyrannosaurus rex that has cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence, and is bound to scare the little ones. The show is scheduled to run through September 6.
The Traveling Man keeps watch over Deep Ellum Station, making us think that if what Stephen Hawkins said about aliens is true, at least Dallas, Texas is safe. The 38 ft. sculpture weighs 35,000 lbs. and was designed by Brandon Oldernberg and Brad Oldham of Reel FX at a cost of 1.35 million.
Oldernberg claims, "It was important to us that our design not only celebrate Deep Ellum's heritage, but also represent what we hope for the future: a resurgence of traffic to our streets and businesses and a thriving artistic community for decades to come."
The Nomadic Plant was designed by Gilberto Esparza to seek out polluted water, clean it up and feed it needed nutrients. Powered by microbial energy, the art project also feeds itself, proving that robots will save the planet by symbiosis. The roboplant is on display at Plantas Nomadas Gijón, Spain through June 7. Seeing it makes us want to rescreen "Silent Running", a nifty 90's flick with Bruce Dern, a huge garden and some of the cutest robot tenders that ever hit filmdom.
Author Gareth Branwyn convinced Make editor-in-chief Mark Frauenfelder to illustrate a series of roboticist trading cards. They were made to accompany an excerpt he wrote on rules from his book "Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Robots." You can find the cards and rules on Make and Branwyn's book is available for purchase.
Our bud Mike Slobot sent in several of his bots to this week's Kaiju Comrades 2 show in Tokyo. He used resin from a Japanese kokeshi doll and turned two Star Wars figures into the Abominable Slobot and Skyflyer V1. Way to go, dude!
We dig the fact that when Brauer makes robotic art, he does so by recycling. His bots are anything but common although they have basic names like Oscar and Horton. Here is his artful philosophy:
"In our modern world, where objects often have a single life, I aim at inventing a new existence for them by diverting them from their initial function. I particularly like the robust appearance of used steel and industrial materials. When I put them together, they start a new life as unique pieces of art, in which each component can tell its own story."
Brian Marshall builds robots out of discarded scrap metal and kitchen items. He uses measuring spoons, silverware, oilcans, pencil sharpeners and other gadgets to make art that is truly unique. Brian will be showing his creations at his Adopt-a-Bot show opening January 29 at the Red Mohawk Gallery in Wilmington, Delaware. If you cannot make it, visit his site for more clever bots.
German designer Nils Voelker designed a 3-wheeled platform robot that can create art by moving colored LED lights while a camera shoots in long exposure. The images are made with graphic editing software and because the bot has several small wheels beneath it, it can be guided in any direction. Voelker says that the robot is part of another project by making a series of "paintings" for magazine publication. We are thinking it might be best used live to appreciate the artsy side of his creation.
So we are wandering around the Net and come across the site Kidrobot. It features lots of designer toys, including this 5" Auto + USBoombox by Superdeux that looks robotic enough for our taste. Made of vinyl, each comes with a hidden 1GB flash drive at a price of $60.00.
Illustrator/designer Pez Banana (aka Jose Lorenzo Pacheco) has taken two of his robots from his Maki Sushi 'Bot' series and is turning them into real ones. The 5.5" 'Sushibot' and 'Alaskabot' can each be pre-ordered now at a $30.00 price.
Last week, R-O-B, a bricklaying robot from Swiss architects Gramazio & Kohler of Zurich's ETH Faculty of Architecture, came to New York City. It will be constructing a wall with more than 7,000 bricks in an infinity loop. Head over to Pike Street if you would like to view the ambitious project which will be on display until January 2010.
Must Have: U.R.I.-NAL 9000 
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