When we think of a robot, we usually imagine a metal humanoid creature. But in 1978, a very peculiar one hit the market. The 2-XL, created by Michael Freeman, was an educational toy robot that ran on 8-track cartridges. Even though it was just a piece of plastic, its warm personality charmed many children of that era.
Today it's common to hear about robots that do wonderful things. Technology has reached a point where those fantasies of automated machines helping with household chores and then rising up in a revolution to kill us all are increasingly plausible. But as you might imagine, the idea of making robots isn't new; it goes back a long time. Among many attempts, some failures and some successes, there are unique cases. 2-XL is one of them.
The History of 2-XL
In 1978, a very peculiar toy hit the market. Created by Dr. Michael J. Freeman, the 2-XL was an educational toy robot. It worked with different 8-track cartridges, some told stories, others had games, but all asked questions that users could answer using the buttons on the front of the robot. Although it was eventually made, Freeman had a hard time convincing companies, because as is common today, educational toys didn't sell well.
Most of the little robot was made of hard brown plastic. On the top it had two small yellow light bulbs that turned on and off at different times. In the central part (which would be the stomach) it had four buttons that said: “Question”, “A, Yes or True”, “B or more information”, and “C, No or False”. These were enough to answer the questions included in the cartridges. It also had two knobs on the bottom, one for power and the other for volume, and the slot where the 8-track cartridges were inserted. In 1980 this original design had some modifications, like the color of the bulbs (to red) and a more polished casing. Small details.
Before starting development, Freeman encountered strong resistance from businessmen. They viewed the idea of launching an educational toy negatively. However, Mego Corporation, which at the time made action figures from TV shows, took it as a good addition to its catalog. Shortly after, it became a success.
The basic operation consisted of inserting an 8-track cartridge. These cartridges had different contents, such as stories, games, puzzles, etc. In the fantasy, these cartridges were memory banks for the robot, whose voice was recorded by Michael Freeman himself. The character spoke as if the user were with him on the stage where the story took place, and then asked multiple-choice questions that had to be answered with the buttons. If the answer was correct, the robot congratulated the user, but if it was incorrect, 2-XL explained the topic in detail. Between questions there were also stories that involved the user.
Even though its appearance might not show it, 2-XL had a great personality. Not only was it very friendly and knowledgeable about the topics it covered, but it also had a very peculiar sense of humor. On each of the tapes there was usually a moment where 2-XL told a bad joke and responded with a robotic laugh. It also used to sing and admit it didn't do it very well. Things like that are what those who had it still remember. Its personality was very warm and human.
Technologically, it had also been something very innovative. It had been marketed as the world's smartest toy robot, and although it didn't have artificial intelligence, it probably was up to that moment. The original model consisted of an 8-track cartridge player, and each one of them was composed of different channels. Depending on the user's answer, it played different sections of the recording.
The original 2-XL came with a cartridge titled: “General Information”, which covered different topics from sports and movies to general culture. The rest of the tapes were sold separately and many of them were thematic. As technology advanced, Freeman was able to make new, longer and more complex cartridges. The types of cartridges varied a lot, from movies to sports and all kinds of interesting topics.
The 1992 Reissue
Without a doubt, many companies remembered its success, and that's why it's not surprising that years later a reissue of the same product came out. In 1992 Tiger Electronics reintroduced the 2-XL robot and instead of using 8-track cartridges, it used cassettes that doubled the length of the previous system and also had better sound quality. It wasn't as innovative as the original, but it again captured the hearts of thousands of children around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Fs8vOfc1XQAlthough 2-XL now lives only in the memory of some, its creator, Michael J. Freeman, didn't rest on his laurels and continued inventing educational robots. He created his first robot when he was 13 and continued devoting his life to building them. His most recent creation saw the light in 2002 when he launched Kasey the Kinderbot, which would constitute the third generation of 2-XL robots.
Here we have a simulator of the original 2-XL that we can't stop playing with (though it requires Adobe Flash). The best part is that it's hosted on a website, so we don't have to download anything to enjoy it. You just go to the site, choose a cartridge, and connect it (on the left side). The site uses the actual recordings from the toy, with all dialogues and effects intact. You can also use the central buttons to answer questions. The vast collection of cartridges and the fidelity with which they've reproduced the little robot is admirable. Don't forget they accept donations to support the development of this simulator.
You can visit this site for more information and a huge collection of cartridges.
In short, 2-XL was an achievement for its time. Not only technological, because the amount of things that could be done was very broad for the moment, but also as a toy. Few toys got under the skin of their users like this little robot, and it did it all thanks to its fresh personality.
More information: Wikipedia
https://old.neoteo.com/robots-del-pasado-los-robots-retro-mas-interesantes-galeria/
