Titan the Robot

Titan the Robot
Poster of the Titan the Robot
Created by Nik Fielding
Information
Full name Titan the Robot
Nickname(s) Titan
Height 8 feet (2.4 m)
Weight 60 kilograms (9.4 st)
Website titantherobot.com

Titan the Robot (often referred to as Titan) is the stage name of a partially-mechanised robot costume created by Cyberstein Robots.[1][2] The robot is approximately 8 feet tall and weighs 60 kg (9.4 st)[3] which increases to 350 kg (55 st)[3] including the cart it rides on and onboard equipment. The face resembles a skull, and some have even compared it to a Transformer.[1] Titan has performed at a variety of public and private events, such as the Commonwealth Games, Bar Mitzvahs[3] UK shopping centres,[4] television fundraisers and live concerts.[2]

Suit Operation

The "suit" is an 8 foot tall machine that is worn by an actor and controlled partially through body movement and partially through remote control.

The actor inside is standing on several inches of lift boots but his legs do extend through most of the suit's legs. The outer portion around the hips and the hinge joints are wider than the actor's and serve to make it appear robotic. But the legs are completely human powered which is why it is capable of such precision and fluid movement.

The actor's upper body, including head and arms are inside of the suit's "chest" area. There is a visible mirror on the front of the chest which is where the actor can see out, much like the mirrored visor on a helmet.

The suit's shoulders, arms and head are above the actor's real head (and reach a height of 8 feet). This upper portion of the suit is a remote-controlled machine. The actor inside has a control panel inside the chest which allows him to pilot the upper portion of the suit. Most of the actions and sounds are pre-recorded gestures which are simply triggered in sequence by selecting the proper commands.

The actor also has a voice modulator which allows him to speak during performances.

In addition the remote controls can also be taken over by his assistants which are watching from a distance in case of any danger or threat that needs response which the actor cannot see (for example, if a child wanders in range of a movement from the suit which the actor cannot see to his side or behind him, the assistants can override his movement and try to prevent harm to the child).

During performances there is also usually in-character security (men in black suits) that are used not only to add to the mystery of the presentation but to keep people from tampering with the panels and latches that keep the suit from opening up and revealing the person inside.

Recent or notable performances

2010

  • 9 March - ECHO Awards in Berlin, Germany. Two versions of Titan performed with the international pop star, Rihanna. [5]
  • 27 March - Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Titan also performed to a worldwide audience again with Rihanna. The Rihanna performances received much attention from the UK media, including The Sun[6] and Heat magazine.
  • 7–11 April - The Gadget Show Live. Titan was used for comedy purposes during the annual "The Gadget Show Live Super Theatre" shows at the NEC in Birmingham.
  • 20 September - Daybreak. Titan appeared on 30 September on Daybreak's "Cool before School" feature. On 22 December it appeared again, playing a recording of "How much is that doggy in the window". 2 December - JLS. Titan joined a 40-day tour with JLS, appearing on stage to the track "Superhero".

2011

  • The Gadget Show. Cyberstein confirmed on Facebook page that Titan will be used in an episode of The Gadget Show 11th series. In photos it is believed that it is in a sketch with Suzi Perry and Jason Bradbury
  • 15–17 April - The Gadget Show Live. Titan was also used at The Gadget Show live as a feature in the super theater. There were also two other titan robots that looked like the original. These were believed to be called Titan 2 and Titan 3.
  • 10 November - Natholdet, Danish TV2. While in Denmark for the BEEP gadget expo, Titan visited the Danish late night talk show, Natholdet, where it was to pick the winner of a drawing contest. However, Titan struggled with taking its hand down in the bowl, as its hands were too big and was told to leave the stage after several attempts.

2013

2014

  • 7 July - Big Brother UK. Titan the robot appeared on the 11th series of Big Brother in the UK as part of a task.
  • 21 August - Clacton Air Show, Essex
  • 21 August - The N1 Centre, Islington

2015

2017

  • 31 October - 1 November - Microsoft Future Decoded
  • Butlins. Titan appears at all Butlins resorts in the UK. Titan arrives being carried on a mini mobility scooter and then puts on a performance in the magic circle after Dave turns him on.

2018

  • 15 July - Nissan Family Fun Day to celebrate 30 years of Nissan Technical Centre Europe

References

  1. 1 2 "Wanted: replacement robot". The Times. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  2. 1 2 "Cyberstein Robots Ltd. official site". Cyberstein. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  3. 1 2 3 "Cyberstein and Titan". newsubstance-artists.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2006-06-24. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  4. ↑ "TITAN the Robot makes his debut at the Brewery!". The Brewery, Cheltenham. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  5. ↑ "Video: Rihanna Makes Out with a Robot". Rap-Up. 2010-03-04. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  6. ↑ "Rihanna at Berlin Echo Awards". www.thesun.co.uk. March 6, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
  7. ↑ "Events at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition 2015". 2015-01-11.
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