Robot Character Ideas

Press the button for one robot character: its job, body, replaced part, sound, question and boss.

Robot Character Ideas: 30 robots

A robot built to fold maps so that they close properly. Body: a rolling sphere crowned by a hovering dome. Replaced part: one arm, now a length of desk-lamp bracket. Sound: the purr of a refrigerator, a little louder near food. It wonders why rivers do not take the short way. Answers to a fourth grader who won it at the school fair.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

Built forto fold maps so that they close properly
Body plana rolling sphere crowned by a hovering dome
Replaced partone arm, now a length of desk-lamp bracket
Soundthe purr of a refrigerator, a little louder near food
It wonderswhy rivers do not take the short way
Answers toa fourth grader who won it at the school fair

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Robot of the day

A robot built to fold maps so that they close properly. Body: a rolling sphere crowned by a hovering dome. Replaced part: one arm, now a length of desk-lamp bracket. Sound: the purr of a refrigerator, a little louder near food. It wonders why rivers do not take the short way. Answers to a fourth grader who won it at the school fair.
A robot built to fold maps so that they close properly. Body: a stove-pipe body with a hinged jaw. Replaced part: the heat vent, covered by a tea strainer. Sound: bubbles in a water cooler. It wonders whether a nickname is a promotion. Answers to the stage manager, through a headset it wears crooked.
A robot built to tune every bicycle in a rental fleet. Body: an android built to look sixty, with a factory-new walk. Replaced part: a wrist hinge borrowed from a garage door. Sound: typewriter clatter, with a bell at the end of each thought. It wonders why people knock on wood. Answers to the tide table pinned inside its chest door.
A robot built to thread film through a movie projector. Body: an android whose eyes are camera shutters. Replaced part: a palm pad resoled with bicycle tire. Sound: a slide projector advancing. It wonders whether thunder is a fault report. Answers to a boy who thinks it is his older brother.
A robot built to fetch balls at a tennis club. Body: a jointed bracket spine with a single spring foot. Replaced part: a thumb whittled from oak by its owner. Sound: pages riffling. It wonders whether snow is the sky making repairs. Answers to a timetable nobody has updated.
A robot built to balance trays on a corkscrew stair. Body: a kettle-shaped hull on casters. Replaced part: the speaker cone, patched with an adhesive bandage. Sound: a hum pitched exactly to make dogs tilt their heads. It wonders whether standby is the same as dreaming. Answers to a fourth grader who won it at the school fair.
A robot built to record birdsong in a marsh at dawn. Body: a rolling sphere crowned by a hovering dome. Replaced part: a wrist that came off a ship's compass mount. Sound: a hum pitched exactly to make dogs tilt their heads. It wonders if echoes are other robots, further off. Answers to the tide table pinned inside its chest door.
A robot built to fetch balls at a tennis club. Body: an android with fingerprints worn smooth. Replaced part: a back panel that used to be an oven door. Sound: a laugh recorded from someone else. It wonders what the wind is carrying when it carries nothing. Answers to the tide table pinned inside its chest door.
A robot built to measure snow depth at a mountain pass. Body: a stove-pipe body with a hinged jaw. Replaced part: three fingers, now brass where the rest are steel. Sound: the tick of a cooling engine after it stops. It wonders why photographs are kept of days nobody liked. Answers to a sundial, on clear days only.
A robot built to sort parcels on an overnight mail train. Body: a barrel torso on three fat tires. Replaced part: a palm pad resoled with bicycle tire. Sound: a music box phrase that never resolves. It wonders if it could do the job badly on purpose. Answers to nobody, since the workshop closed.
A robot built to trim hedges into chess pieces. Body: an android two inches taller than any doorway. Replaced part: one hand, sheathed for good in a child's mitten. Sound: a slide projector advancing. It wonders if it could do the job badly on purpose. Answers to the harbor office, by radio, mostly static.
A robot built to patch sails for a sailing school. Body: a hovering saucer that drags one stabilizing chain. Replaced part: the speaker cone, patched with an adhesive bandage. Sound: a spring going boing when it stops short. It wonders why the moon follows the night tram. Answers to whoever says please.
A robot built to solder circuit boards the size of stamps. Body: an android with a faint glow at the collarbone. Replaced part: its breastplate, beaten from a traffic arrow. Sound: vowels that wobble like a singing saw. It wonders whether rust is a kind of growing up. Answers to an inventor's nephew who inherited the manual.
A robot built to mend potholes after midnight. Body: a flat cart with a fold-up torso. Replaced part: a shoulder socket patched with a jam-jar lid. Sound: keys jingling, though it carries none. It wonders if echoes are other robots, further off. Answers to a circus, collectively, at breakfast.
A robot built to guard a museum's gallery of clocks. Body: a diving-suit build with riveted seams. Replaced part: its pressure dial, renumbered by hand in ink. Sound: a flag-in-wind flutter from one loose panel. It wonders whether it has a favorite, or only a most used. Answers to the harbor office, by radio, mostly static.
A robot built to hold the ladder for a sign painter. Body: a round-shouldered frame like a parking meter. Replaced part: its nameplate, re-engraved with a new name. Sound: a cough of static to get attention. It wonders whether moss is in charge of stone. Answers to the tide table pinned inside its chest door.
A robot built to spot forest smoke from a lookout tower. Body: a shopping-cart cage with a lamp on a pole. Replaced part: a flank left in dull undercoat. Sound: the purr of a refrigerator, a little louder near food. It wonders why people knock on wood. Answers to a standing order nobody has renewed since the flood.
A robot built to fold maps so that they close properly. Body: an android with a child's proportions and an old voice. Replaced part: the right arm, repainted a shade too green. Sound: a doorbell chime before every sentence. It wonders where its mistakes are stored. Answers to a standing order nobody has renewed since the flood.
A robot built to thread film through a movie projector. Body: an android two inches taller than any doorway. Replaced part: one arm, now a length of desk-lamp bracket. Sound: a murmur audible two pastures away. It wonders why a gift is wrapped if it will be unwrapped. Answers to a harbor pilot who instructs it with rope hitches.
A robot built to reknot torn trawl mesh at the dockside. Body: a stepladder that walks, with hands at the top. Replaced part: a missing rivet, plugged with chewing gum. Sound: a laugh recorded from someone else. It wonders what humming is for. Answers to a tailor who measures it yearly out of habit.
A robot built to shelve atlases too heavy for the librarians. Body: an android with a faint glow at the collarbone. Replaced part: its battery door, held on with a belt. Sound: the hiss of a tape rewinding when it repeats itself. It wonders whether a yawn is a message. Answers to the six o'clock chime, regardless of who pulls it.
A robot built to fetch balls at a tennis club. Body: a stove-pipe body with a hinged jaw. Replaced part: the status lamp, now a bulb from a strand of party lights. Sound: keys jingling, though it carries none. It wonders if it could do the job badly on purpose. Answers to a sundial, on clear days only.
A robot built to keep score at a small-town ball field. Body: an android built to look sixty, with a factory-new walk. Replaced part: a microphone swapped for a seashell. Sound: abacus beads sliding. It wonders what humming is for. Answers to a schoolteacher, by handwritten note.
A robot built to keep score at a small-town ball field. Body: a hovering saucer that drags one stabilizing chain. Replaced part: a whistle fitted where the horn broke. Sound: the slosh of a half-full radiator. It wonders what people see in clouds. Answers to a gardener who has never raised her voice to it.
A robot built to light the way for hikers after dark. Body: a shopping-cart cage with a lamp on a pole. Replaced part: one shoulder cover, cut from a cookie tin. Sound: pages riffling. It wonders what it would be called in a different town. Answers to a poet who gives orders that rhyme.
A robot built to light the way for hikers after dark. Body: six short legs under a bread-loaf shell. Replaced part: a wrist hinge borrowed from a garage door. Sound: keys jingling, though it carries none. It wonders how much of it is still the original order. Answers to a circus, collectively, at breakfast.
A robot built to glaze teacups in a pottery. Body: an android with a serial number where a freckle might be. Replaced part: a palm pad resoled with bicycle tire. Sound: the pop of a toaster when it decides. It wonders whether standby is the same as dreaming. Answers to a tailor who measures it yearly out of habit.
A robot built to sort parcels on an overnight mail train. Body: a tall tripod with a camera where the face goes. Replaced part: both wrists, fitted backward and left that way. Sound: the slosh of a half-full radiator. It wonders why anyone asks for a tune they already heard. Answers to a reel of recorded instructions, replayed at dawn.
A robot built to mind a field of seedlings against frost. Body: a kettle-shaped hull on casters. Replaced part: an ear dish, now a soup ladle. Sound: a ratchet click whenever it turns its head. It wonders at what word a joke is finished. Answers to the daughter of the man who built it.
A robot built to listen for leaks in a city's water mains. Body: a stepladder that walks, with hands at the top. Replaced part: an elbow rebuilt with a bicycle chain. Sound: a voice that drops an octave when the battery is low. It wonders why farewells stall on the threshold. Answers to the harbor office, by radio, mostly static.

Next step Pick a palette for the shell Put this robot in a story

Built for: all 42 jobs

To serve and carry 14

to balance trays on a corkscrew stair A gimbal in the wrist, so the tray stays level whatever the body does.
to crank the sluice paddles on a backwater canal A capstan built into the torso.
to deliver soup along one street of row houses Insulated hip flasks, and a ladle clipped where a sword would hang.
to ferry luggage between two railway platforms A flatbed back, and a hook for a station lantern.
to fetch balls at a tennis club A scoop for a jaw, and a basket for a back.
to hand out towels at the public pool A heated chest cabinet with a drop-down door.
to hold the ladder for a sign painter Huge flat feet and a clamp for hands.
to hold umbrellas over a garden party A tall thin frame with a canopy where the head should be.
to light the way for hikers after dark A glass head with the lamp inside it.
to push the tea cart at a seaside hotel Low, wide and rubber-wheeled, with a rail worn by many hands.
to shelve atlases too heavy for the librarians Long forearms with padded cradles.
to sort parcels on an overnight mail train A row of pigeonholes behind it, and one arm that ends in a soft paddle.
to turn pages for a concert pianist A single delicate finger, and a body built to stand very still.
to walk an elderly terrier round the block One arm that is mostly leash reel.

To make and mend 14

to assemble wristwatches under a glass dome The whole upper body sits inside a clear bell.
to bind dissertations at a college print shop A clamp chest, and a glue pot heated by its own motor.
to fold maps so that they close properly Creasing bars along the forearms.
to glaze teacups in a pottery A turntable where the lap would be.
to knead dough for a bakery chain's test kitchen Fists like padded mallets, dusted white.
to mend potholes after midnight A hopper on the back and a flat tamping foot.
to patch sails for a sailing school A curved needle the length of a forearm.
to press apples at a cider mill A screw thread down the spine, and a spout at the hip.
to reknot torn trawl mesh at the dockside Ten thin fingers, and a spool mounted on the shoulder.
to repaint the stripes of a lighthouse yearly Magnetic treads, and a roller where one hand would be.
to solder circuit boards the size of stamps Jeweler's loupes stacked over one eye.
to thread film through a movie projector Spool-shaped shoulders and a narrow guiding hand.
to trim hedges into chess pieces Shears for one hand and a level for the other.
to tune every bicycle in a rental fleet A truing stand built into the chest.

To watch and measure 14

to check tickets on a funicular A punch for a thumb, and a brass voice grille.
to count salmon passing a fish ladder An underwater eye on a stalk, and a tally wheel on the chest.
to guard a museum's gallery of clocks A soft tread, and a lantern jaw that holds a real lantern.
to inspect rivets on a suspension bridge Suction feet, and a small hammer for tapping.
to keep score at a small-town ball field Number plates stacked in a rack on its back.
to listen for leaks in a city's water mains One huge ear trumpet pressed to the ground.
to log cloud cover from an observatory roof A head that is mostly upward-facing dish.
to measure snow depth at a mountain pass A ruler leg, marked in bands.
to mind a field of seedlings against frost Low and spidery, with a warm lamp underneath.
to record birdsong in a marsh at dawn A parabolic dish held like a parasol.
to spot forest smoke from a lookout tower Binocular eyes on a long swivel neck.
to tally passengers on a harbor ferry A turnstile for a waist.
to time the swimmers at a neighborhood pool A stopwatch face set into each palm.
to watch a level crossing in the hills A striped arm that is also the barrier.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: ordinary jobs of serving, making and watching. No real company, product or machine is named, and nothing here describes how a real robot works. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

Body plan: all 42 body plans

Wheels, tracks and rails 14

a barrel torso on three fat tires Start with a cylinder and a triangle of wheels under it.
a drum on treads, with ladders up both sides Scale it against a person: knee high, or house high.
a flat cart with a fold-up torso Draw it twice: lying flat, and unfolded to full height.
a hovering saucer that drags one stabilizing chain The chain draws a line in the dust behind it.
a kettle-shaped hull on casters Round belly, a spout that is an arm, and a lid that tips.
a rolling sphere crowned by a hovering dome Two circles, the smaller one leaning into each turn.
a shopping-cart cage with a lamp on a pole Wire mesh shows what it is carrying.
a tricycle frame with handlebar shoulders Borrow the lines of a delivery bike.
a unicycle base with long balancing arms Arms out like a tightrope walker's pole.
a wheelbarrow front and a walking rear One wheel ahead and two feet behind.
caterpillar tracks and a periscope neck A low wedge with a thin vertical line rising out of it.
one big wheel with the body slung inside it The head stays level while the rim turns round it.
rail wheels, for a track around one building Flanged wheels and a body shaped like a mine cart.
six small wheels under a suitcase body A rectangle with a handle and rounded corners.

Legs and arms 14

a boiler body on two stork legs A heavy oval high up, knees that bend backward and tiny feet.
a crab stance, wider than it is tall Elbows above the shoulders, and the body slung low.
a diving-suit build with riveted seams Round helmet, thick limbs and a grille for a mouth.
a filing-cabinet chest with drawer compartments One drawer a little open, with a tool handle showing.
a jointed bracket spine with a single spring foot It hops, and lands on a coil.
a lantern-shaped head on a coat-rack frame Hooks for shoulders, with things hanging from them.
a pear-shaped trunk with accordion arms The arms stretch, so show one short and one long.
a round-shouldered frame like a parking meter A coin-slot mouth and a dial for a face.
a stepladder that walks, with hands at the top Two A-frames hinged at the hip.
a stove-pipe body with a hinged jaw The jaw is the only part of the face that moves.
a tall tripod with a camera where the face goes Legs that telescope, drawn at uneven lengths on a slope.
four legs like a card table, with a lamp for a head Sensors along the table edge, and a shade that tilts to look.
six short legs under a bread-loaf shell It scuttles. Draw the legs as a blur on one side.
stilts for legs and oven mitts for hands Soft square hands on a hard thin frame.

Built to pass for a person 14

an android built to look sixty, with a factory-new walk Gray temples and a spring in the step.
an android that blinks one eye at a time Catch it mid-blink, a little out of step.
an android that stands too symmetrically Mirror the left side exactly, with weight on both feet.
an android two inches taller than any doorway Always drawn ducking.
an android whose eyes are camera shutters Draw the iris as overlapping blades.
an android whose hair is one molded piece Shade the hair as a single glossy shape with no strands.
an android whose joins show at cuff and collar A fine dark line where a cuff and a collar would hide it.
an android with a child's proportions and an old voice Small frame, large head and very upright posture.
an android with a faint glow at the collarbone One soft light source, from inside the shirt.
an android with a maintenance hatch between the shoulders Show it from behind, with a small square outline under the shirt.
an android with a porcelain face and cloth hands Hard highlights on the cheeks and stitched fingers.
an android with a serial number where a freckle might be A tiny row of digits on the cheekbone.
an android with a wind-up key it keeps in a pocket The key's bow shows in a jacket pocket.
an android with fingerprints worn smooth A close view of a hand holding a glass, leaving no marks.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: wheeled and tracked bodies, bodies with legs and arms, and android bodies built to pass for a person. No design is taken from a film, a show, a game or a toy. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

Replaced part: all 42 parts

Hands and arms 14

a forearm sleeve cut from a stovepipe A black tube with a seam, a little too wide for the arm inside.
a palm pad resoled with bicycle tire A strip of tread pattern across the inside of one hand.
a shoulder socket patched with a jam-jar lid A stamped metal disk with a faded label.
a thumb whittled from oak by its owner Wood grain among the metal, shiny with handling.
a wrist hinge borrowed from a garage door A hinge with a visible spring, and a hand that snaps shut.
a wrist that came off a ship's compass mount Two rings, one inside the other, and a hand that floats level.
an elbow rebuilt with a bicycle chain A loop of links that shows when the arm bends.
both wrists, fitted backward and left that way Palms that face outward when it rests.
the left hand, from a larger model Draw one hand a third bigger, and let it be the gentler one.
one arm, lengthened with a stack of washers A neat pile of rings above one wrist.
one arm, now a length of desk-lamp bracket Springs on the outside, and a reach that it never had before.
one hand, sheathed for good in a child's mitten Bright wool over the mechanism.
the right arm, repainted a shade too green Same shape, wrong color. Keep the edge of the repaint crisp.
three fingers, now brass where the rest are steel Warm yellow against cool gray.

Eyes, ears and voice 14

a jaw hinge taken from a nutcracker A square painted mouth that clacks.
a microphone swapped for a seashell A spiral shell wired in where an ear would be.
a whistle fitted where the horn broke A tin tube at the temple, with a pea in it.
an antenna rebuilt from a coat hanger A bent wire triangle on top.
an ear dish, now a soup ladle The bowl of a ladle cupped toward sounds.
its eyelids, cut from a leather glove Soft brown shutters over glass.
its pressure dial, renumbered by hand in ink Slightly wobbly numerals.
the left eye, now a marble that does not see A swirl of color where the lens was.
the nose sensor, capped with a thimble A small dimpled dome at the middle of the face.
one eye lens, tinted amber One warm eye and one cool. Light them differently.
one eye, replaced by a bicycle headlamp A round beam on one side, and the face rearranged round it.
the speaker cone, patched with an adhesive bandage A cross of tape over a round mesh.
the status lamp, now a bulb from a strand of party lights One small colored light, off-center on the chest.
the voice box, from a railway announcer unit A grille in the throat, and speech drawn in block capitals.

Shell and insides 14

a back panel that used to be an oven door A small window with a wire rack behind it.
a control knob that is now a chess pawn Tiny, but draw it in a close-up panel: one carved pawn in a row of plain knobs.
a cooling fan taken off a ceiling Blades too big for the opening, sticking out.
a flank left in dull undercoat A flat dull patch beside glossy paint.
a missing rivet, plugged with chewing gum One pink dot in a row of steel ones.
the back vent cover, now a colander Rows of holes, with light coming out of them.
the belly hatch, replaced by a porthole A round brass window into the workings.
the gearbox cover, now clear acrylic Cogs on show, drawn turning.
the heat vent, covered by a tea strainer A small mesh dome that steams.
its battery door, held on with a belt A leather strap and buckle round the middle.
its breastplate, beaten from a traffic arrow Part of a painted arrow still shows.
its nameplate, re-engraved with a new name An old name crossed through, and a neater one below.
the main spring, rewound from a grandfather clock A coil visible through a gap, and a slower tick than before.
one shoulder cover, cut from a cookie tin A patch of printed pattern, faded.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: hands and arms, eyes, ears and voices, and parts of the shell and the insides, each with a mismatch a viewer can see. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

Sound: all 42 sounds

When it moves 14

a clank it apologizes for A jagged burst, with a tiny sorry beside it.
a crunch like gravel whenever it bends Speckles falling from the joint, even indoors.
a flag-in-wind flutter from one loose panel A plate drawn in three overlapping positions.
a hum pitched exactly to make dogs tilt their heads Draw the dog, not the hum.
a ratchet click whenever it turns its head One tick mark per degree, in an arc.
a roller-skate rumble from somewhere inside Parallel speed lines, low down.
a spring going boing when it stops short A zigzag behind it, still quivering.
a squeak at every third movement Draw the squeak as a small star beside the same joint each time.
bellows wheezing on any slope Puffs that grow larger toward the top of the hill.
keys jingling, though it carries none Little crescents near the hip.
the purr of a refrigerator, a little louder near food Wavy lines that thicken toward the kitchen.
sewing-machine chatter at full speed Short dense dashes trailing behind.
the slosh of a half-full radiator A curved line inside the belly outline.
the tick of a cooling engine after it stops Small fading tick marks rising off the shell.

When it thinks 14

a dial tone while it waits One long flat line.
a distant modem, only when it is puzzled A scribble that looks like static.
a kettle's rising whistle as it nears an answer A thin line climbing off the top of the head.
a metronome that speeds up under pressure A wagging needle behind the chest window.
a music box phrase that never resolves Five notes on a stave, and the sixth left out.
a slide projector advancing A clunk drawn as a hard-edged square.
abacus beads sliding Short horizontal strokes, clacking left to right.
bubbles in a water cooler Round shapes rising up the neck.
coins dropping through a sorting machine A zigzag path of small circles down the torso.
pages riffling A fan of thin lines beside the head.
the pop of a toaster when it decides Two small lines springing from the shoulders.
the scratch of chalk on slate White strokes appearing over the brow.
typewriter clatter, with a bell at the end of each thought Rows of dots, and a small ding.
the whirr of a film projector A flicker of light from one ear.

When it speaks 14

a cough of static to get attention A small jagged cloud, with a hand politely raised.
a doorbell chime before every sentence A ding and a dong, then the words.
a hummed note in place of the word yes A single eighth note, nodding.
a laugh recorded from someone else Quotation marks round the ha ha.
a murmur audible two pastures away Tiny letters on a very long tail.
a voice like a station announcement, echo included Letters repeated fainter to the right.
a voice that drops an octave when the battery is low Letters that grow heavier across the balloon.
the crackle of a record between its words Specks in the speech balloon.
the hiss of a tape rewinding when it repeats itself Arrows curling backward through a sentence.
its own name, said as three beeps Three dots of different sizes.
numbers read in a cheerful sing-song Digits bouncing above and below a line.
speech that starts a second after its mouth moves An empty balloon, and a full one beside it.
two voices at once, a fifth apart Double outlines on every word.
vowels that wobble like a singing saw Wavy baselines under the lettering.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: sounds of moving, of thinking and of speaking. The notes are our own drawing advice on how to show a sound in a picture. Licence: own work

It wonders: all 42 questions

About people 14

at what word a joke is finished Counting on its fingers after the laugh.
what a lullaby does that an off switch does not Beside a crib, very still.
what humming is for Head inclined toward someone who is doing the dishes.
what people see in clouds Lying on its back in a field, lenses whirring.
whether a nickname is a promotion Looking at its nameplate, and at a child.
whether a yawn is a message Mouth hatch open, experimentally.
whether whispering makes a thing more true Leaning in, with one ear enlarged.
why a gift is wrapped if it will be unwrapped Holding a parcel, turning it, finding no seam of logic.
why anyone asks for a tune they already heard A record held up to the light.
why boats get christened and wheelbarrows never do Looking from a hull's lettering to a wheelbarrow.
why farewells stall on the threshold Standing by a coat rack, timing.
why people apologize to it A person mid-sorry, and the robot checking itself for damage.
why people knock on wood Rapping its own tin chest, then a table.
why photographs are kept of days nobody liked Studying a frame of unsmiling faces.

About itself 14

how much of it is still the original order Reading a faded packing slip.
if being switched off has a middle Finger hovering over its own switch.
if it could do the job badly on purpose A stack made deliberately crooked.
if it would know its own hands in a pile Turning both hands over at a parts bin.
if the replaced part remembers the old robot Holding the odd hand in the original one.
what it would be called in a different town Reading a signpost with many arrows.
what it would keep if it had a pouch Pressing a hand flat to its smooth side.
what its first maker hummed while working Fingers on a seam, as if listening through them.
where its mistakes are stored Opening its own chest drawer to look.
whether it has a favorite, or only a most used Two cups, one worn, and a long look.
whether its reflection is on the same shift Waving at a shop window.
whether rust is a kind of growing up Touching an orange freckle on the forearm.
whether standby is the same as dreaming Under one lamp in a dark building.
why it slows down near the window Stopped mid-task, lit from the side.

About the world 14

how seeds know which way is up A sprouting bean in a jar, held to the eye.
if echoes are other robots, further off Calling into a canyon and waiting.
if the horizon is a wall anyone has reached One arm pointing, and treads at the cliff edge.
what moths want from a lamp Head tilted under a streetlamp, counting wings.
what the wind is carrying when it carries nothing Arms spread on a hilltop.
where the birds go at the factory whistle Looking up at an empty wire.
where the color goes at dusk Holding a red apple as it turns gray.
where the tide puts the water At the shoreline with a measuring stick.
whether moss is in charge of stone Kneeling at an old wall.
whether snow is the sky making repairs One flake on an upturned palm.
whether thunder is a fault report Checking its own gauges in a storm.
why cats choose the warm spot on its casing Standing perfectly still with a cat on board.
why rivers do not take the short way Tracing bends on a map with a stiff finger.
why the moon follows the night tram Head out of a window, turned backward.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: questions about people, about itself and about the world. None is answered. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

Answers to: all 42 owners

One person 14

a beekeeper who signals with a smoker Puffs of smoke as punctuation.
a boy who thinks it is his older brother A small hand in a large gripper.
a clockmaker who winds it on Sundays A key the size of a spoon.
a ferry captain, by one of four whistles A whistle on a lanyard, and the robot's head cocked.
a fourth grader who won it at the school fair A blue prize ribbon taped to the robot's chest.
a gardener who has never raised her voice to it Two figures working side by side, saying nothing.
a gatehouse guard who splits his lunch with it Half a sandwich set on a crate beside the charger.
a harbor pilot who instructs it with rope hitches Rope samples on a board, each one an instruction.
a poet who gives orders that rhyme A page of couplets taped to the wall.
a retired engineer and her opinionated parrot A workbench, a perch, and two heads tilted the same way.
a schoolteacher, by handwritten note Slips of ruled paper pinned inside its chest door.
a tailor who measures it yearly out of habit A tape measure round a steel waist.
an inventor's nephew who inherited the manual A thick book with pages falling out.
the daughter of the man who built it A photograph on a shelf at the robot's eye level.

An office or a crew 14

a circus, collectively, at breakfast A long table, and a place set with a wrench.
a class of thirty, one child per day A rota chart with gold stars.
a committee of seven that never agrees Seven sticky notes on its back, all different.
a family of eleven, loudest first A doorway full of faces.
a kitchen brigade that shouts in three languages Three speech balloons, with the robot in the middle.
a town board that ballots on its lubricant A show of hands, and an oil can on the table.
a train dispatcher two hundred miles away A telegraph key, and a long wire running out of frame.
the duty lifeguard, whoever holds the whistle Looking up, shading its lens.
the firehouse gong, exclusively Standing to attention before the bell has stopped swinging.
the harbor office, by radio, mostly static An antenna, a crackle and a best guess.
the library's lending desk, by stamped card A due-date slip tucked in a slot on its arm.
the rowing club's senior oar, a title that rotates An oar held like a staff of office.
the stage manager, through a headset it wears crooked A band across the dome, slipping.
two rival shifts, only one of which named it Two name tags, one over the other.

Nobody in particular 14

a cat, though neither would admit it A cat on a windowsill, issuing a slow blink.
a founder's portrait in the lobby Standing below a gilt frame, reporting.
a punch card it carries and rereads A card with holes, held up to the light.
a reel of recorded instructions, replayed at dawn A reel turning behind a little window.
a standing order nobody has renewed since the flood A scrap of paper, laminated by wear.
a sundial, on clear days only Standing in a garden, waiting for a shadow.
a timetable nobody has updated A yellowed sheet behind glass, obeyed exactly.
the building itself, through its pipes A hand on a radiator, listening.
its own checklist, laminated Tick boxes, a grease pencil, and great seriousness.
nobody, since the workshop closed A dust sheet half pulled off, and a door ajar.
the six o'clock chime, regardless of who pulls it A rope swaying, and the robot already walking.
the tide table pinned inside its chest door An open hatch, and a finger on today's line.
the weather, as far as anyone can tell A weathervane on its head that it consults.
whoever says please An ear turned toward a small polite voice.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: one person, an office or a crew, or nobody in particular. No real company or organization is named. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

How it works

These robot character ideas come in six parts: the job it was built for, a body plan, the part that was replaced, the sound it makes, what it has begun to wonder and who it answers to.

Read the full guide

Robot OC ideas start with the job

The job draws the body. A robot built to turn pages for a concert pianist needs one delicate finger and nothing else; one built to hold a ladder needs huge flat feet. Then break the set: the replaced part is where the character begins.

A sound and a question

Each robot makes one sound, such as a squeak at every third movement, and each note says how to show it in a picture. The question is its inner life, and nobody answers it: why boats get christened and wheelbarrows never do.

Draw the replaced part in a different color and a different decade from the rest.

Questions and answers

How do I get an android character idea from this page?

Press until the Body plan is an android, then lock it. Fourteen of the 42 body plans are built to pass for a person, each with one tell, such as hair that is one molded piece or eyes that are camera shutters.

Does it work for cyborg OC ideas?

Partly. Every result is a machine, but the replaced-part list is what a cyborg design needs: a left hand from a larger model, an eye lens tinted amber. Keep that part and draw the rest as a person.

Are these robots from a film, a game or a toy line?

No. Every job, body, part, sound and question was made up for this page. No design comes from a film, a show, a game or a toy, and no real company or product is named.

How do I draw a sound?

Use the note under each sound in the list below the tool. A ratchet click whenever it turns its head becomes one tick mark per degree, in an arc; a dial tone is one long flat line.

Built for: all 42 jobs

To serve and carry 14

To make and mend 14

To watch and measure 14

Body plan: all 42 body plans

Wheels, tracks and rails 14

Legs and arms 14

Built to pass for a person 14

Replaced part: all 42 parts

Hands and arms 14

Eyes, ears and voice 14

Shell and insides 14

Sound: all 42 sounds

When it moves 14

When it thinks 14

When it speaks 14

It wonders: all 42 questions

About people 14

About itself 14

About the world 14

Answers to: all 42 owners

One person 14

An office or a crew 14

Nobody in particular 14

How it works

Robot OC ideas start with the job

A sound and a question

Questions and answers

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