Inspiring WALLoE

When the creative minds at Pixar needed help developing realistic movements for the movie WALL•E, the Emeryville-based company didn’t have to go far to find a vintage robot.

They turned to the San Mateo County Bomb Squad — one of only two bomb squads in the nation still using a 15-year-old robot.

The namesake of this summer’s animated blockbuster was crafted with the help of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and one very old robot. Most departments have retired the simplistic robot in favor of newer technology, but San Mateo County is still waiting on grants to get a better ’bot.

Never has outdated safety equipment yielded such fun results.

In 2005, when Pixar was developing WALL•E, the company contacted Sgt. Mark Duri of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad requesting time with the department’s Remotec Mini-Andros robot. They wanted to observe how it moved and functioned, Duri said.

"I was pretty surprised. I didn’t think anyone knew we had this robot,” Duri said.

Duri shuttled the robot to Pixar’s Emeryville campus where employees spent three hours taking "thousands of pictures” and videotaped the robot’s movements,” Duri said.

Why the Mini-Andros?

It doesn’t have the cute binocular head like WALL•E and it doesn’t have a personality. That was clearly the work of creative animators. It does, however, moves like an old robot. Its two-joint arm joints can’t pivot as well as newer robots and it has metal tread without wheels.

The 80-pound "vintage” robot was originally designed to travel down an airplane aisle, Duri said.

The Sheriff’s Office purchased the robot for $140,000 in 1993. In 2005, the Sheriff’s Office used grant money to buy a larger robot with more movement capabilities. It never gave up on its Mini-Andros, though, and occasionally the little guy is called upon to get a bomb out of a tight spot, Duri said.

The bomb squad technicians are usually met with amazement when they tell counterparts they still use the Mini-Andros, Duri said.

A Mini-Andros is actually on display at the bomb school museum in Alabama and a department in Arizona is the only one using the antiquated technology, Duri said.

Duri compares the aging robot to an old car because it takes a lot of time to fix and maintain. In 1993, Duri spent three days at a special class learning how to take apart and reassemble the robot, he said.

The Sheriff’s Office is applying for a federal grant to help purchase a $150,000 replacement. That’s the only money available to buy new robots, Duri said.

Unfortunately, Pixar didn’t write a check to the department for its trouble. It did, however, invite the bomb squad to a company car show last month and gave special thanks in the movie credits.

Duri has yet to see the movie.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.