Robot Archaeology: The History of K9 from #DrWho @DoctorWho_BBCA #DoctorWho

In this episode of Robot Archaeology, we travel to the world of Dr. Who, the long running British TV series. K9, occasionally written K-9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines (dogs) , first appearing in 1977. K9 has also been a central character in three of the series TV spin-offs: the one-off K-9 and Company (1981), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011) and K9 (2009–2010). Although not originally intended to be a recurring character in the series, K9 was kept in the show following his first appearance because he was expected to be popular with younger audiences. There have been at least four separate K9 units in the series, with the first two being companions of the Fourth Doctor.

Fans and Makers have built some really good replica K9 units. Here are some via Youtube:

K9 Dr. Who

For some how and why on Dr. Who props, see Raymond Cusick Visits the BBC Props Department and Studios – Part 1

Adafruit loves Robots and wants you to #MakeRobotFriend with Crickit, the Creative Robotics & Interactive Construction Kit. It’s an add-on to our popular Circuit Playground Express that lets you code using CircuitPython, MakeCode, Arduino, etc. to make robotics, arts, crafts, audio animatronics, sensors, agriculture/robot farming, physical computing, kinetic sculptures, science experiments, telescope control and much, much more!

Crickit + CPX

Do you have a favorite K9 memory or have you built a K9? Let us know in the comments!


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