REALITY:
[youtube z23UeJi_uJ4]
ART:
[youtube _1iXkUXMQ9g]
What we have here is the “Beam,” a robotic surrogate that can wander around your workplace and irritate your co-workers. It bears a striking resemblance to Shelbot, the robotic surrogate of the character Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory” that, in episode “The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification,” which wanders around his home and workplace and irritates his co-workers. As the episode in question aired on September 30, 2010, the “Beam” was very likely well into development and its developers didn’t get the idea from TBBT, but it’s nevertheless interesting to see the convergent evolution. The same basic requirements led to the same basic layout and collection of hardware, though of course the “Beam” has a much higher level of finish.
An interesting thought, though. You can buy a “Beam” for $18,000. I suspect TBBT did not have that high of a budget for their prop. How much would a DIY Shelbot cost?