Pixar’s WALL-E was released more than four years ago but the titular character has been a mainstay in the news – just a few weeks ago, word spread about a devoted fan who had brought the robot to life with a superbly designed recreation. Recognizing the character’s position in pop culture, Carnegie Mellon University has nominated the robot for a spot in its Robot Hall of Fame. After the break, find more on how you can vote in the poll!
The Pittsburgh-based University, which created the Robot Hall of Fame in 2003, released its 2012 nominations yesterday (via Engadget), which are comprised of four categories: Education & Consumer, Entertainment, Industrial & Service, and Research. WALL-E is nominated in the Entertainment category, along with Short Circuit‘s Johnny 5 and The Jetsons‘ Rosie.
According to the Robot Hall of Fame’s website, “officials surveyed 107 authorities on robotics from industry, academia and elsewhere, inviting them to anonymously nominate robots in [the] four categories.” This year, the University is turning to us for the next step in the process, as the top three vote getters in each category were put on the ballot for the public to choose between. Previous inductees include two of the most popular and well-known robots in the world, R2-D2 and C-3PO.
The poll is now live here, where you can vote for one robot per category. The vote closes on September 30, with an induction ceremony to follow on Oct 23, 2012 at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh.
