LoveBot: design robot avatars on iPhone / iPad

LoveBots ($2.99), by Kit Robot, is a digital robot avatar assembly kit for the iPhone and iPad. It's like a plastic model kit, puzzle box, Mr Potato Head, or Lego kit, but digital.

For my entire life, I've collected robots, robot kits, models, sci-fi and movie toys, and action figures, literally filling up rooms with these things.

I enjoy mashing model kits and toys together to transform them into new toys.

I created the LoveBots iPhone/iPad app (with my friend and colleague Kiyoshi Kohatsu) as a way for people to assemble endless combinations of robots from a large inventory of parts.

Both Kiyoshi and I work in animation (Doubletwist 1984 Big Brother, Ren & Stimpy, Disney Mobile, The Farside, Beauty and the Beast), and we love cartoons, sci-fi, and all things geeky.

For 4-5 months, we designed all of the parts, referencing toys and robots from the golden age of tin toys, books, old Japanese magazines, etc, coming up with robot ideas and how they should fit together.

We drew all the LoveBot parts by hand, using pencil and paper, then scanned them to computer.

We then designed a intuitive, user-friendly layout and interface.

It's been fun creating new possibilities for kids to get creative and for adults to reminisce over their love of robots and sci fi.

We are asking LoveBot fans to send us their creations, as we plan to release The Art of LoveBots app book.

So far we have some great additions from kids and adults from around the world.

Find out everything we are up to at Kit Robot.

• [Brainspore]

  Technically that first one appears to be a cyborg, not a robot.

  /nerd

• [exacto]

  THIS IS AN AWESOME APP – Highly recommended!! Perfect for a christmas gift for kids or adults!

• [klotz]

  Why does this have to be an “app”?
  Can’t it be a web page and work on all mobile and desktop devices?

• [carriem]

  heart

• [BLTafel]

  Check out B-BOT, another app by Kid Robot (this one by Tristan Eaton and Peter Cortez). Equally fun and integrates with your contacts list!

• [Anonymous]

  We are also working with celebrities to create “celebots”, for coming updates. So anyone, celebrity or not, who wants to be made into a LoveBot Robot for the upcoming app, feel free to contact us at [e-mail].

  • [Anonymous]

    This is from Remo Camerota – not Anom – Sorry for the confusion

• [Anonymous]

  Make one for Android :(

  • [Anonymous]

    yes, Android, please!

• [Anonymous]

  Still no Android version? Its almost March! What gives? ^_^

• [Kosmoid]

  “It’s like a plastic model kit, puzzle box, Mr Potato Head, or Lego kit, but digital.”

  Gosh, you sold me!

• [UniversalCitizen]

  What better OS than Android for a robot kit? heh :-)

  • [Kiyoshi Kohatsu]

    LOL OK guys, The Android version will be made soon.
    We are just chaining back all the elves.
    Cheers

• [Anonymous]

  HAHA, I made a program like this in BASIC with ascii characters in 1982? on the Commodore 64. Glad to see it done with graphics.