15 Great Robots of 1980s Film & TV

Rob Spiegel

July 25, 2014

1 Min Read
15 Great Robots of 1980s Film & TV

Some of our culture's most enduring robots appeared in the 80s. The Aliens series produced another evil android, and we saw light robot fare in the form of Short Circuit and Pee-wee's Playhouse. Two of the great robots of all time also showed up: The Terminator and RoboCop.

The 1980s also saw robots appearing in two major series of the era: Superman III and Rocky IV. You can't page through the 80s without bumping into John Hughes and the Brat Pack. We saw robots in their mix in Weird Science by Hughes, with Brat Packer Anthony Michael Hall, and Short Circuit, featuring fellow Brat Packer Ally Sheedy.

To demonstrate just how deep 80s robots integrated into our imaginations, we're seeing them show up in our era, with Terminator Salvation, RoboCop 2014, and a Short Circuit remake on the way.

Did we miss any great robots from the 1980s? Tell us in the comments section below.

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About the Author

Rob Spiegel

Rob Spiegel serves as a senior editor for Design News. He started with Design News in 2002 as a freelancer covering sustainability issues, including the transistion in electronic components to RoHS compliance. Rob was hired by Design News as senior editor in 2011 to cover automation, manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, AI, and more.

Prior to his work with Design News, Rob worked as a senior editor for Electronic News and Ecommerce Business. He served as contributing editolr to Automation World for eight years, and he has contributed to Supply Chain Management Review, Logistics Management, Ecommerce Times, and many other trade publications. He is the author of six books on small business and internet commerce, inclluding Net Strategy: Charting the Digital Course for Your Company's Growth.

He has been published in magazines that range from Rolling Stone to True Confessions.

Rob has won a number of awards for his technolloghy coverage, including a Maggy Award for a Design News article on the Jeep Cherokee hacking, and a Launch Team award for Ecommerce Business. Rob has also won awards for his leadership postions in the American Marketing Association and SouthWest Writers.

Before covering technology, Rob spent 10 years as publisher and owner of Chile Pepper Magazine, a national consumer food publication. He has published hundreds of poems and scores of short stories in national publications.

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