1966 – Rodnee Robot – Chris Southall (British)

18th September 1966: Chris Southall and the students of Farnborough College take Robot Rodnee for a walk in London during Rag Week*. (Photo by William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images)

The robot was to walk 50 miles to London to raise money for charity.

*Rag Week – a week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities.


Rambling Robot – Popular Mechanics Feb 1967
Rodnee could hardly expect to go for a walk without gathering a crowd – which he did in London's Whitehall. Rodnee is a 140-pound robot who can move his arms and head. He also "enjoys a walk," according to his inventor, Chris Southall, an engineering apprentice.


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