Freddie Highmore as the voice of AstroBoy

Imagi announced that the casting of the award-winning actor Freddie Highmore, as the voice of Astro Boy follows the release of The Spiderwick Chronicles, Highmore’s latest starring vehicle.

read more: imagi press release

《 阿 基 拉 》真人版電影

DiCaprio, Warner Bros. adapting 'Akira'

Anime classic "Akira" is getting the live-action big-screen treatment courtesy of Leonardo DiCaprio and Warner Bros. Gary Whitta has been hired to write the adaptation, which DiCaprio will produce via his Appian Way shingle.

source: Holywood Reporter

東 京 飛 車 黨 殺 入 荷 李 活
里安納度自監自演阿基拉由日本動漫大師大友克洋原作兼執導的著名日本科幻動畫電影《 阿 基 拉 》（ Akira ），自1988年面世以來，深受 fans 愛戴，最近荷李活已購下版權，準備重拍成真人電影。近年逐漸參與電影幕後工作的里安 度卡比奧（ Leonardo DiCaprio ），不但會擔任監製，更被傳會飾演主角金田 。

將 分 兩 集 上 映
繼鳥山明的《 龍 珠 》、岩明均的《 寄 生 獸 》以及動畫《 新 世 紀 福 音 戰 士 》後，大友克洋的漫畫兼動畫代表作《 阿 基 拉 》，也被荷李活片商看中，重拍成真人電影。里安納度廸卡比奧的電影公司Appian Way，已決定跟美國華納兄弟電影公司合作，製作真人版《 阿 基 拉 》，擔任 製的里安納度似乎對真人版《 阿 基 拉 》充滿信心，由於大友克洋創作的原著漫畫單行本共六冊，影片將分兩集上映，每集電影會根據三冊故事內容拍攝，首集會在明年夏天上映。

真人版《 阿 基 拉 》已落實由廣告界出身的愛爾蘭新晉導演 Ruairi Robinson 執導，他曾拍過科幻戰爭短片《 The Silent City 》，又憑動畫短片《 Fifty Percent Grey 》獲提名奧斯卡，實力不容忽視。雖然官方暫未正式公佈演出陣容，但美國電影網站 Ain''t It Cool News 則指另一男主角鐵雄會由荷李活上位小生 Joseph Gordon-Levitt 飾演，又指里安納度不但會做監製，還大有可能扮演男主角金 田。不過，原著中的金田只是10多歲的不良少年兼飛車黨，若現年33歲的里安納度扮他 的話，明顯欠說服力。

雖然未知里安納度是否演出，但電影公司揚言真人版《 阿 基 拉 》，會是集合經典科幻片《2020》（ Blade Runner ）與巴西暴。

New IronMan WonderCon Poster

This is the new Iron Man poster that is being handed out at WonderCon in San Francisco. It featurs the Mark I, Mark II and Mark III armors!
Source: Screen Rant
WonderCon
IronMan Movie official website

Job Fair 花絮

會場中派發的貼紙，每人任選一款。AstroBoy當然就是最多fans...


MIS的 Patrick和阿豪隨時準備，提供技術上的技援。也協助 Stephanie派發紀念品。


大家出盡力給應徵者解釋製作流程及重點。

下午到了會場探班，今天反應比昨天更熱烈，當中有幾位是特定由馬來西亞飛來的，相當有誠意。也有不少從國內來的。

這是Imagi有史以來的第二個 Job Fair，第一次已是01年在Imagi舊址舉行，當時有近二百人應徵。今次是首次較高調地宣傳，有不同媒體的推廣。反應令人滿意。希望可以吸納多些"有火有心"的新血。

Job Fair Today!!

Job Fair Start Today, Join us!!
想入行參與CG動畫電影的朋友, 把握今天 !!

Cool Batman CG art

I randamly found this CG art from a China CG site, i can't remember the source but the Batman surfacing looks pretty cool. As i remember, Normal Map technique is applied. The Sky is little too flat to me. cool

Batman Anime : Gotham Knight

期待之作!! 形式如 Animatrix 一樣，6個短篇故事，由不同公司及班底製作包括 Studio 4°C, Production I.G., Madhouse Direct to Video Anime DVD，很有睇頭！2008年夏季推出。










August 6, 2007 - Thanks to a helpful break in the news from Batman fansite, www.batman-on-film.com, a press release is circling the internet regarding an upcoming companion piece to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It's an anime flick, currently titled Batman Anime (which, of course, won't stick for long) that takes place between the two movies, introducing characters and other plot developments before they appear in the upcoming Christian Bale blockbuster. It will feature the talents of Academy Award-nominee Jake Olsen (A History of Violence), Batman Begins screenwriter David Goyer, and comic book writer Brian Azzarello, among others. It's currently slated for a PG-13 rating to aim at the more mature series that Christopher Nolan has put together. Expect it to drop a few weeks prior to The Dark Knight.

Batman: Gotham Knight Sneak Peek Preview

"Batman: Gotham Knight is a 2008 animated direct-to-DVD anthology film of six animated short films set in-between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It is the third in the DC Universe Animated Original Movie line released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation. Directed by Bruce Timm, co-creator and producer of Batman: The Animated Series, the film's six segments are written by Josh Olson, David Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg, and Alan Burnett. Each segment has its own writing and artistic style, just as numerous artists work in the same DC Universe. Deadshot, Killer Croc, and the Scarecrow have all been confirmed to appear in the film. Also, a trailer for the film features a creature that look like giant bat, possibly Man-Bat." [wiki]

The Evolution of Mario

I am not the fans of Mario, but it is always interesting to see how a character evolutes from time to time. More and more pixels...from 1991 to 1996 was a big jump. Remind me my first job in game industry, we have to use the limited color (16-color platelet to draw and animate a character within 16 X 16 pixels.
image source: Geekstir.com

停不下來...

今天是假期的最後一天，也不是預期中的休息，說到底的休息也只不過在家工作而已。加上天氣實在太冷，所以的能量如凍結下來。

從美國回來後，想停下來小休數天來個 Recharge，可是每朝還是一早醒過來。埋位一開電腦又是停不下來，對於未完成的工作仍是心掛掛... 電郵一個接一個，電話也一樣... 喜歡做的事，做得太少了:想玩的電玩還是打不了多關、想看的書看不了幾段、想看的影碟也看不了幾套、想畫的畫幅也未開始。如果以果效來衡量今次的小休，就是不合格吧。完全不能抽離工作...oopssss

屋企人嘲諷我是工作狂，我不能否認... 星期一又是另一段更瘋狂的日子的開始。希望在三月尾能有真正的休息。No Email, No phone call !

說實的，其實以我的情況一星期不Check email是件很可怕的事...一星期後開電腦要面對及300封emails 是需要很大的勇氣和決心...

IMAGI Job Fair Posters

"I want u for IMAGI" print ad

這是刊登在今期 MILK 雜誌的 Recruitment AD. 留意CR2陸續會有關 imagi 請人的 Radio AD

I WANT U FOR imagi

see the flash banner at cgvisual.com/
http://www.imagi.com.hk/web/jobfair/

Interview with Imagi Crew @ Recruit

Felix Ip, Creative Director
Desmond Chan, TD Supervisor/Production Manager
Kim Ooi, Animation Director
Jacky Chow, Supervisor of Development


學概念傳神 動畫創作宜專精
香港動畫迷有很多，甚至有人因熱愛動畫而萌生入行衝動。現今動畫以電腦來製作，有人以為入行首要條件是具有良好的電腦軟件操作能力，然而在業界眼中這並非重點，理想的應徵者應該具有動畫製作的概念，而且有一項個人專長。

這幾年在政府積極推動下，創意工業發展一日千里。數碼動畫作為其中一個極具潛力的行業，正在高速發展。隨著愈來愈多港產電影、廣告等採用動畫特技，本地動畫界發揮機會增多；此外，也有動畫公司著力走出香港，在國際數碼動畫界展示港人的創意，成功在國際數碼影視娛樂業佔一席位，參與多套荷里活電影或動畫製作。

空間廣技術專
意馬國際控股有限公司技術總監及製作經理陳建華認為本港動畫行業前景理想，皆因他看好動畫不會沒落，只是需求會隨著時代和科技而有不同。「舉例說，以前動畫是人手繪畫的，現時是電腦製作。只要有人喜歡動畫，這行業長做長有。」而且現時愈來愈多電影加入動畫特技，這並不限於某幾間大型公司投資的電影，加上廣告趨向增添動畫技術，可見業界有一定的擴展空間。

雖然動畫業界對未來抱樂觀態度，可是本地人才似乎未能配合行業的增長。該公司創作總監葉偉青表示，動畫是一項大投資，涉及人手眾多，製作時間漫長，不是太多公司願意投資，但是若沒有投資的話，行業發展增長不大，需求人手有限，難吸引市場投放資源開辦專業培訓課程。「我們聘請人才遇到困難，原因是院校培訓的人才並不完全符合我們的要求。」他續說，本地培訓課程，多以軟件應用為主，內容較多元化，但略嫌太概括。

陳建華指出：「如果學員學習modeling、texture、animation等技術不夠深入，畢業時每樣東西都學會一點，可是我們請人時卻要求應徵者對某一範疇有深入的認識。」

懂思考更重要
葉偉青補充：「外間有個錯誤的觀感，以為入行做動畫必先學會軟件應用，其實並不是這回事，我們希望應徵者對動畫的概念和理論認識多一點。」
該公司動畫總監Kim Ooi說：「動畫中要完成一項工作，可能有很多方法達成，但究竟用哪個方法才最理想，便要靠一些動畫概念去作判斷。」他說，若然培訓集中教導如何利用軟件達到目的，但背後原理則沒有交待，會影響學員對動畫製作的理解和表現發揮。

葉偉青以繪畫一個球掉下地面後彈開作為例子，解釋從業員具有動畫概念的重要性。「球掉下以後，會往哪個方向走，滾動時的模樣又如何，當中有很多理論。原來球掉下以後，著地一刻是會凹下去的，而且滾動速度和情況，涉及物理計算，要畫得傳神，並不是隨便按幾個鍵便可做到，要經過多重思考和判斷。」

其實業界在面對人才不足情況下，除了在新加坡、台灣和內地尋求合適人選填補空缺之外，也嘗試開辦培訓課程，自行培訓合適的專才。陳建華和葉偉青表示，該公司一直有為具基本動畫知識的新入職同事，提供10天的培訓課程，內容講解動畫流程，好讓新同事盡快適應工作及環境。

若被選中的人沒有任何動畫知識，則會獲安排參加為期半年的培訓課程，內容包括：繪畫技巧、動畫製作、動畫概念等，以加深他們對行業的了解，同時訓練工作所需技能。

作品集寧精勿濫
他們提醒有興趣入行和應徵的人，必先了解個人喜好，集中發展專長。陳建華說：「應徵時不要只會說喜歡動畫，要知道動畫範疇很廣，你究竟希望在哪個方向發展呢？人物動作、燈光效果，抑或是質感配搭方面呢？你要找到個人專長，然後集中往那個方向學習。」

葉偉青建議大家應徵時帶同的作品集，只要集中展示自己最強最好的東西，寧精勿濫。他回憶道，曾收到一些作品集，內包括各類型的創作，但當他們細看後，發覺應徵者在燈光掌握方面技巧頗佳，只是沒有集中把長處表現出來，埋沒了個人的才能。

轉載自 : Recruitonline.com

Jacky Chow's Interview @ Recruit

十足幹勁 動畫事業前進
有人說，年輕人最大的本錢就是一股蠻勁，可以義無反顧地向前衝，即使跌倒了，仍有寶貴的青春作後盾，爬起再闖不成問題。但是換個角度看，人生匆匆數十載，黃金時間畢竟有限，蠻牛亂撞，難免頭破血流。年輕人若為前途著想，衝要有目標，闖也要有計劃。今期主角人物鄒頌國（Jacky），對動畫有一腔熱誠，多年來逐步朝向理想進發。他認為儘早確定個人興趣和專長，對往後發展事半功倍。

日本動畫大師宮崎駿一系列的動畫，是不少動畫迷的摯愛。著作《天空之城》，描述天空之城公主奮勇逃過敵人的攻擊，誓要保護和平寧靜的天空之城，叫人為之動容。精緻的畫面、有深度的故事、精采的音樂，構成了動畫的經典，令萬千動畫迷為之著迷，看得如痴如醉；同時啟迪了無數動畫迷的心，欲在動畫界幹出一番成績來，Jacky也是其中一分子。

「初接觸時覺得2D動畫卡通片有非常震撼的威力，而且不止是畫面，還包括故事內容和人物設計，令人留下深刻印象，觸發我想創造一個故事，或者創作一件東西出來，可以感動別人心靈。」現於意馬國際控股有限公司擔任部門主管（Development Supervisor）的Jacky娓娓道出立志成為動畫師的原委。

「紙上動畫」玩得痛快
卡通片和動畫陪伴小孩成長。很多人都看過了十指數不清的卡通片集，但為甚麼Jacky受動畫片集的啟迪而投身動畫界，而其他人卻仍然樂於做觀眾？歸根究柢，其天分和後天努力都推動他踏上動畫師之路。

自小愛繪畫和藝術創作的他，每到美術課便心情興奮，動動手做勞作，拿著筆隨意畫畫，教他樂上半天。天分使然，他畫畫維妙維肖，而且受到從事設計工作的叔叔感染，令他傾慕美術工作的自由和樂趣，他很早便意識到自己應該發展的路向，所以集中火力向著這方面發展，例如參加各類型的美術繪畫比賽，累積經驗和心得；此外，閑時最愛翻閱有關美術的書籍，自學更多美術的原理和技巧。

「都要自己下苦功，不是說喜歡便了事。既然喜歡一樣東西，便要花時間和精神去鑽研。我看完卡通片和動畫以後，會想想為甚麼人家畫的畫面如此精巧？為甚麼人物如此有神韻？然後自己嘗試落手落腳畫畫看，試試做設計。」Jacky說。年紀小小的他，能力和認知有限，雖然未能運用器材設計動畫，但一支筆和幾張紙，原始的「紙上動畫」已讓他玩得痛快。

他第一次做「動畫」，內容是一個人在走路。他畫了約十多幅人走路的圖畫，然後快速地掀動紙張，便可看到那個人一步一步地走。「過程要不斷修改，畫得稍有不滿意便把紙撕掉，再畫一遍，不行的話再試試看，直至效果可以為止。當成功以後，滿足感很大。」他拿著這個鬧著玩兒的動畫作品跟志同道合的同學一齊分享，收集人家的反應和意見，一點一滴地累積做動畫的經驗。

走進動畫「兵工廠」
長大以後，正藉電腦冒起的年代，他毫不猶豫選擇了香港理工大學首辦的多媒體課程，甘願當上白老鼠，也要走上其電腦設計路。他解釋：「我看到這行發展空間很大，因為利用電腦辦事，較傳統方法靈活。」經過漫長的學習過程，他一點一點裝備自己，畢業以後，正式投身動畫行業，當上了他夢寐以求的動畫師，追逐心裏夢想。

初入行，每樣事情對他來說都是新奇的，而且年輕人就是有一股不滅的熱誠和衝勁，讓他全情投入工作之中。走進動畫「兵工廠」，回頭細看身邊每個人，其實人人都是高手。即使自己畫功有多好，天外有天，一山還有一山高，Jacky都曾遇到挫敗的時候。一次繪畫動畫《Zentrix》裏的基地，曾令他感到前路灰濛濛，開始反思自己的能力和未來。

「畫來畫去效果都不理想，會懷疑自己對動畫理解是否足夠，又會想想是否自己根本沒天分。」幸好，他是天生樂觀者，負面的情緒爆發以後，「氣」消了，慢慢想出改善的方法。「我覺得可以透過努力，自己多鑽研一點，並且從中學習。」

畫師功力 顯逼真神髓
在數碼動畫這個虛擬的世界裏，其實沒有甚麼不可能，飛天遁地、機器人大戰怪獸、外星人侵襲地球，按一按鍵盤，甚麼都可能。可是有一點卻難倒不少動畫師，那就是人的神髓。Jacky說：「畫人的動態神態很困難，即使自己覺得跟對著真人畫的一模一樣，手腳五官都對位，可是看上去就是不像一個人，動態不像，缺乏神采。」

不論電腦多精巧，運算有多快，畫出來的人，要一顰一笑、一舉一動都靈巧生動逼真，不是隨便按幾個鍵便完成，是要看動畫師的功力。「不要太集中在仔細的地方，開始時要多觀察，做資料搜集，培養對它的感覺。當你有了感覺以後，落筆去畫去創造出來的時候，自然會散發出這一點感情出來。初時他聽著人家的教導，也不太相信，覺得說法很虛無、很玄。但是當試過以後，發覺真是可行。

「有時候差一點點，可能是你對這個人缺乏了解和感覺，只要你把感情加上去，便可做到。」

他強調，動畫不單純是創作，資料搜集工作很重要。「若果工作是有目的，要朝著目標而行，欲表達一些東西，便要多做資料搜集，了解故事內容、人物性格等，才落手去做。」

晉身管理 發展看遠
經過7年多的努力，Jacky現在不用落手落腳去畫圖，而是領導一班同事，按計劃及進度完成動畫工作。「投身這工作一段時間，最令我有成功感的，不是單獨完成工作，而是可以帶領同事一起達成目標。」由獨個兒畫動畫過度至成為領導，帶領一班人工作，當中有喜又有苦。他回憶道：「工作最大的挑戰是時間短，而且當時我帶領的同事是新入行沒有經驗，如何帶領他們在短時間內達標，是件頗辛苦的工作。」

挫敗容易令人放棄，他同樣有這樣的經歷。「初時會覺得很沮喪，曾經不下數百次自問，不如專注畫畫比較好，但當想到要長遠發展，要進步成長的話，便不可故步自封。」他深明掌握溝通和對人處事技巧非常重要，幸好得到公司的相關培訓，令他輕鬆克服重重難關。「處事圓滑一點，態度不可太強硬。可能同事年紀較輕，若以強硬態度對待，可能弄巧反拙。最重要是知道事情的宗旨，然後慢慢跟他們溝通解釋，多點傾談，事情便可解決。」

由動畫師開始，一步步走下來，Jacky今日略有成績，但他仍未滿足，希望有朝一天，能當上Art Director。問他打算如何完成目標，他收起訪問期間輕鬆自若的神態，認真謹慎地說：「從工作中汲取經驗。」回答簡明扼要，卻表現出他對工作的認真和熱誠。

動畫業需熱血青年
動畫可說是很多年輕人心中的熱門行業，然而Jacky認為，不少人是抱著「跟風」心態，在未找到自己的方向時，便想到入行做設計來糊口。「一定要認清自己是否喜歡這行業，你才可以持續做下去，不然，只為保持有收入而工作，便不會有進步，同時不能為行業帶來貢獻。」

他又認為現時有部分新人太計較，未做事情已經要知道結果，以及將來所得回報。「你想得太多對事情沒幫助，有時候想多了可能影響工作。其實只要做得出色，自然有人賞識，應該享受過程。」

轉載自 : Recruitonline.com

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The 50 Best Robots Ever (US)

一向喜歡 ROBOT，轉載自 WIRED 的一篇有趣的文章 "The 50 Best Robots Ever"，花了點時間加貼了圖片讓大家易看一點。

50. ROBONAUT

Not all NASA robots drive around poking at rocks. This android will one day work alongside people on space stations. Robonaut is the same size and shape as a person in a space suit, so it can handle tasks typically performed by humans - its hands are even better articulated than an astronaut's gloved digits. The fact that it looks like Boba Fett? Lucky coincidence.

49. LEONARDO
Awww, isn't it cuddly? Or maybe just creepy. MIT's Cynthia Breazeal is famous for building robots that humans have an emotional reaction to. Her newest creation, Leonardo, was bolted together in 2002 with the help of the movie monster gurus at Stan Winston Studio (their animatronics include the Terminator, the aliens in Aliens, and the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park). Leonardo can grab objects, make facial expressions and complex gestures, and even learn simple tasks (like turning lights on and off) through trial and error.

48. KITT
The smooth-talking, self-driving muscle car from the early '80s TV drama Knight Rider was so cool, it even upstaged David Hasselhoff. The success of this Trans-Am helped to usher in a new genre of show with supervehicles as heroes, from Airwolf to Stealth.

47. HAL 9000
Some tasks are too important to be left to humans. Just ask Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The 1968 film gave the world the ultimate all seeing, all knowing - and apparently all ego - AI villain. It set the standard for machines that can think (and kill) like us but are too powerful to control.

46. ROOMBA DISCOVERY
This wasn't the first robosucker, just the first that didn't blow. In 2005, iRobot's second-generation robotic vacuum showed that domestic bots can actually work. To clean the floors, simply turn the thing on - just try not to stand around watching slack-jawed.

45. NINTENDO R.O.B.
In the mid-'80s, the PC was killing the market for videogame consoles. The game industry's only hope? A robot. Nintendo packaged the Robotic Operating Buddy with the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System. The R.O.B. didn't do much, but the gimmick helped Nintendo sneak systems onto shelves. Lo, the console market was saved.

44. SLUGBOT
Meet a real-life hunter bot. Built in 2001 at the University of West England, SlugBot uses a vision sensor and an extending arm to find slugs, grab them, and drop them into an onboard trap. The idea is that one day it will deposit the slugs in its dock and use the gas from the decomposing bodies to charge its fuel cells.

43. ATTACK BOTS FROM RUNAWAY
Tom Selleck got top billing, but the real stars of Michael Crichton's overlooked 1984 thriller were the spider attack drones. OK, their weapons were low tech (they sprayed acid at people), but the bug bots presaged Genghis (see #14) and similar critters in The Matrix and Steven Spielberg's Minority Report.

42. LILLIPUT TOY ROBOT
Before there were real robots, there were toy robots. Among the first was Lilliput, a windup walker from the 1930s. It couldn't do much - the legs would walk, causing the arms to swing. But by the late '40s, the tin tykes had spread from Japan to the US, earning a spot in toy history alongside teddy bears and fire trucks.

41. MOBOTS
What would you get if Robby the Robot got busy with a Mars rover? Probably something like the Mobots. In 1960 Hughes Aircraft unleashed these industrial machines for use in hazardous material sites - teleoperators controlled the snaking appendages. Alas, like the Spruce Goose, they weren't financially viable.

40. ELEKTRO AND SPARKO
Westinghouse engineer Joseph Barnett made a splash at the 1939 World's Fair with a 7-foot, cable-controlled metal man that could walk, speak 77 words, and even smoke cigarettes (so debonair). The next year Barnett gave the hulking android a best friend: a robotic dog that seemed to bark and sit in response to Elektro's commands.

39. S-BOTS
An ongoing project of the EU's Future and Emerging Technologies program, these minibuggies show strength in numbers. Each s-Bot is fully independent, but get a bunch in a room together and they'll form a chain to carry heavy payloads or bridge obstacles. Kinda like ants on roller skates … in a conga line.

38. SONY AIBO
Think this is a hunk of plastic that won't fetch a tennis ball? Think again. It's actually an advanced piece of robotics that won't fetch a tennis ball. Introduced in 1999, AIBO is one of the most sophisticated toys on the market. It can find its docking station, recognize its owner's face, and respond to voice commands.

37. RB5X
It hit store shelves in 1985, and this first-ever mass-produced home robot kit is still sold today. RB5X can be programmed to speak, navigate a room, and perform such simple tasks as retrieving small objects. Of course, its real claim to fame was as a sweet prize on the '80s videogame quiz show Starcade.

36. PACKBOTS
From the creators of the Roomba comes a kick-ass droid for the US military. Carried on a soldier's back, it can be tossed into a building or under a car, where it will assess the situation (or maybe just be blown up). First deployed in Afghanistan in 2002, it's now on active cannon-fodder duty in Iraq.

35. THE IRON GIANT
This 100-foot-tall combat machine from the 1999 movie wields an energy cannon and snacks on cars. But he really gets in gear playing hide-and-seek with a schoolboy. The giant eventually achieves robot enlightenment, realizing that he controls his own destiny (even if that means head-butting a suborbital nuclear weapon). It's a classic example of how robots - like all technologies - are neither good nor evil, just tools of circumstance.

34. OPTIMUS PRIME
Robots are cool. Robots that turn into giant trucks - way cool. Robots that turn into giant trucks and command a fleet of autobots - now that could change pop culture history. Such was the impact of the Transformer when the toy line was introduced in 1984, spawning decades of TV shows, movies, and comic books.

33. THE TURK
Step right up and marvel at the mechanical device that can beat you in chess. Not impressed? You would be if it were 1769. The contraption was a hoax (inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen stashed a human chess master inside), but it sparked early debates over what it means for a machine to think.

32. ABE
Mars may belong to the rovers, but the oceans belong to the Autonomous Benthic Explorer. Completed in 1995 by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the first fully independent underwater scout can dive down to 15,000 feet, map thermo layers and collect water samples, then swim home on its own.

31. GM UNIMATE
After bonding over their mutual love of sci-fi, engineers George Devol and Joseph Engelberger invented the industrial robot. They must have been reading very utilitarian fiction - their 1961 creation was a 4,000-pound arm that stacked sheets of hot metal. But it transformed the assembly line; a variant is still in use today.

30. THE TIN WOODMAN
While technically a cyborg, the heartless lumberjack of Oz did wrestle with a common existential dilemma faced by robots: the desire to feel. (Well, that and the desire to combat rust.) Not bad for 1939. And hey, how many other robots sing and dance with Judy Garland?

29. VAUCANSON'S DUCK
Back in 1739, Jacques de Vaucanson wanted to create artificial life. He settled for a mechanical duck that pooped. The machine used a weight system to quack, flap its wings, drink water, and eat grain, which it would digest mechanically and expel through an opening in its backside.

28. THE TERMINATOR
Apparently robots of the future like to hit the gym. Out of a long line of assassin bots, the Terminator is the perfect blend of indestructibility and determination. With him, James Cameron personified what we really fear about robots: They'd do better without us.

27. MQ-1 PREDATOR
Forget fantasy robots that kill people - here's a real robot that kills people. The US military's famed unmanned aerial vehicle became a household name in 2002 after taking flight in Afghanistan. Now armed with hellfire missiles, it no longer just monitors enemies - it blows them up, too.

26. FALSE MARIA
The classic sexbot from Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis was one of the first mechanized humans on film. She danced topless, incited riots, and sparked duels, but what really got her off was overthrowing the ruling class. No wonder she inspired every vision of an android for the next 80 years.

25. PARTNER BALLROOM DANCING ROBOTS
Some robots build cars, some explore space, some do the cha-cha-cha. In 2005, Tohoku University's Kazuhiro Kosuge debuted a series of ballroom dancing androids, complete with fancy dresses. They can predict the movements of a partner, enabling them to follow another dancer's lead. And they're klutz-proof: There are no toes to step on.

24. ELSIE AND ELMER
Neuroscientist W. Grey Walter's mechanical tortoises from the 1940s were the first fully autonomous electric robots. Programmed to seek out light and to turn if they ran into an object, they could find their illuminated charging stations, even if something was in the way.

23. GORT
In the 1951 flick The Day the Earth Stood Still, spaceman Klaatu and his robot Gort come to Earth to promote peace. When that doesn't work out, Gort teaches us what happens to those who eschew harmony - they die. Oh the irony that a machine must remind us of our humanity.

22. ROSSUMS' UNIVERSAL ROBOTS
Czech author Karel Capek coined the term robot in his 1920 play about automaton factory workers. One problem: The characters that gave a title to all robotics weren't actually, you know, robots. They were biological creatures - more Jango Fett clones than C-3PO.

21. PERSONAL SATELLITE ASSISTANT
Legs, wheels, and treads - those are for bots that can't get off the ground. NASA's Personal Satellite Assistant possesses none of these things; instead it uses small fans to propel itself through zero gravity. Perhaps as soon as 2007, these assistants will hover over an astronaut's shoulder, serving as an all-in-one PDA, videophone, and air monitor.

20. MINDSTORMS
Since 1998, Mindstorms have been turning 8-year-olds into fledgling roboticists. The Lego kits come with programmable blocks that animate all manner of dinosaurs, vending machines, unmanned planes - whatever kids, or more likely their parents, can dream up.

19. R2-D2
R2-D2 and C-3PO - the Abbott and Costello of space - may be the most popular robots in history, but it's the littler one that really steals the show. Sure, C-3PO could walk and speak 6 million languages, but R2-D2 proved that robots can be emotive without being humanoid and don't need to speak English to communicate.

18. HONDA'S P2
Asimo? A pipsqueak. Before Honda's much-hyped biped was touring the world, there was P2, a 6-foot, 462-pound prototype. Unveiled in 1996, P2 possessed most of Asimo's walking skills - including the ability to climb stairs - making it, as Honda puts it "the first self-regulating, two-legged humanoid walking robot."

17. ALBERT HUBO
Here's an idea: Stick an elastomer foam Einstein head on a robot spaceman. This 2005 collaboration between roboticist David Hanson and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology is more likely to give you nightmares than a unified field theory. But it's the best combo to date of bipedal movement and realistic facial expression.

16. ROBART III
Not only does Robart III have a gun, it has a team of spider "slave" bots. Under development by the Navy since 1992, this security robot uses microwave motion detectors to search, say, a hostile building for enemies, sending out its insectoid companions to look in dark corners. Alas, its barrels hold only rubber bullets and darts.

15. WABOT AND WABOT 2
In the '70s, some roboticists were building machines to make Chevettes, but researchers at Tokyo's Waseda University were building bots in man's image. In 1973, they introduced Wabot, the first full-scale programmable android. It had eyes, flailing limbs, and the ability to speak Japanese. The next rev, Wabot 2, played piano.

14. GENGHIS
Creeped out by bug bots? How about bug bots that can learn? In 1988, Rodney Brooks' lab at MIT created this six-legged walker, which taught itself how to scramble over boards and other obstacles. The secret: Allow each leg to react to the environment independently and you won't need to program every complex step.

13. EDINBURGH MODULAR ARM SYSTEM
Part man, part machine, all Scottish: Campbell Aird received the first complete bionic arm in 1998. Pressure sensors in the shoulder attachment detect minute fluctuations in Aird's muscles, activating motors that control the arm's movement. Eat your heart out, Lee Majors.

12. T-52 ENRYU
What's better than an 11-foot-tall robot? An 11-foot-tall robot that can rip cars in half and lift 1,100-pound slabs of concrete. Japanese manufacturer Tmsuk unleashed Enryu in 2004 to help in rescue operations (think earthquakes). The best part: It's piloted from a cockpit in its belly, manga style.

11. SPEEDY
Before Sonny (shown) made Asmiov's three laws of robotics known to the masses, there was Speedy, the robot in the 1942 short story Runaround that inaugurated the directives. Speedy knows not to harm humans, to obey their commands, and to protect itself, just not which rules matter most. Turns out a bot's needs come last.

10. THE STANFORD CART
Grand Challenge finishers, UAVs, and even KITT from Knight Rider all owe a debt of gratitude to James Adams and Hans Moravec's Stanford Cart. In 1979, the wagon traversed a chair-filled room on its own, a landmark achievement for self-navigating vehicles. Travel time: roughly five hours.

09. DANTE II
After eight volcano researchers were killed in two 1993 eruptions, robots were brought in to take the heat. The next year, Carnegie Mellon's Dante II was lowered into Alaska's steaming Mount Spurr to collect data. It fell in, but not before uploading its readings, making it the first "successful" terrestrial explorer robot.

08. DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM
In the future, you'll beg to be operated on by a machine. Credit Intuitive Surgical's 2000 robot, a fusion of arms, cameras, and instruments that allows doctors to slice into patients remotely. Procedures done with the da Vinci are more precise than when humans wield the scalpel - research shows there's less blood loss and quicker recovery.

07. THE MECHANICAL KNIGHT
Way back in 1495, Leonardo da Vinci designed what was probably the first robot - an automated suit of armor with a windup crank. It could sit up, wave its hands, and maybe even talk. Five hundred years later, engineer Mark Rosheim used the master's schematics to build a working miniaturized version.

06. QRIO
Bipedal robots that can walk up stairs seem flatfooted compared with the running, jumping, and traditional-Japanese-fan-dancing Qrio. Officially, Sony uses its state-of-the-art androids, debuted in 2003, as corporate ambassadors. But the company may one day sell them for entertainment. Works for Beck: The singer recently used all six Qrios in his video for "Hell Yes."

05. SHAKEY
Developed by Stanford Research Institute International, Shakey had jerky, often nonsensical movements. But that didn't stop the 1972 robot from entering the history books as the first machine to autonomously locate objects, steer around them - and then explain its logic for doing so.

04. ROBBY THE ROBOT
Few robots can trace their origins to Shakespeare. Robby, from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet, was inspired by Ariel in The Tempest. But that didn't keep Robby from leaving a legacy all his own. For decades, the very idea of a robot was synonymous with Robby's bulbous figure.

03. SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY
Some robots sit in labs for researchers to tinker with. These two bots are on frickin' Mars. Expected to last only three months when they touched down on the Red Planet in January 2004, the rovers are still going strong two years later - each sends back 100 megabits of data a day.

02. ASTROBOY
While American kids were daydreaming of Superman, Japanese tykes were worshipping at the altar of Tetsuwan Atom, aka Astroboy. First drawn in 1951, Astroboy has rocket boots, lasers that shoot from his fingertips, and, uh, an ass cannon. The lovable crime-fighting robot was an inspiration to a generation of kids -some of whom went on to become robotics researchers. He's a big reason why Japan is at the forefront of android development today. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.

And the No.1 Robot of All Time Is...

01. STANLEY
The Stanford Racing Team's autonomous vehicle is a modified Volkswagen Touareg that can scan any terrain and pick out a drivable course to a preset destination. Cup holders optional.

those highlight in orange is my favorite..