Doctor Who Cuttings Archive

It's Charmer Karmelion

From The Doctor Who Cuttings Archive
Jump to navigationJump to search

1984-10-30 Daily Star.jpg

[edit]

ROBOTS shot to superstar-dom when Star Wars and the sci-fi blockbusters hit the cinema.

Tiny R2D2 and his mate C3P0 became as famous a double act as Laurel and Hardy.

But like most of their screen predecessors they were both played by actors.

Graphic designer, Chris Padmore, built the only real robot ever to be used in Dr. Who.

Karmelion, a 7ft. tall, silver robot, looks like an all-powerful, super human.

He has eyes which follow you around the room and remark-able, flowing, human-like arm, and neck movements.

His lips, made of latex rubber, are synchronised to a tape recording of a human voice.

But Karmelion's biggest drawback is that he can't walk.

"That is probably the most difficult thing for a robot," says Chris.

He spent seven years developing the technology for Karmelion and put him together in four weeks.

"I wanted to make a robot that looked and moved like a real person," says Chris, who runs his company, CP Cybernetics, from his home in Oxford.

"Karmelion is one of only a handful of self-contained, self-activating robots in this country.

"He didn't even need me in the studio with him when he was working."


Caption: Karmelion ... the perfect man about the house

Spelling correction: Kamelion.

Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org

  • APA 6th ed.: (1984-10-30). It's Charmer Karmelion. Daily Star p. 9.
  • MLA 7th ed.: "It's Charmer Karmelion." Daily Star [add city] 1984-10-30, 9. Print.
  • Chicago 15th ed.: "It's Charmer Karmelion." Daily Star, edition, sec., 1984-10-30
  • Turabian: "It's Charmer Karmelion." Daily Star, 1984-10-30, section, 9 edition.
  • Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=It's Charmer Karmelion | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/It%27s_Charmer_Karmelion | work=Daily Star | pages=9 | date=1984-10-30 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=29 March 2024 }}</ref>
  • Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=It's Charmer Karmelion | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/It%27s_Charmer_Karmelion | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=29 March 2024}}</ref>