9,999 droids and everything after

Robotos

2021–nowCreator · All the art · Story · Creative directionrobotos.art ↗Hollywood Reporter ↗
Beep boop.

Beep boop.

In 2021 I drew a robot. Then I drew 170 more parts for it… and the internet built 9,999 of them.

Robotos started as a simple question: what if a character wasn't one drawing, but a system? Tin faces, metal outfits, top pieces, backpacks, chassis colors. Each part hand-drawn, each combination a little person… okay, a little robot pretending to be a person.

It became a collection, then a community, then a whole universe with a city, pets, music, comics, and a wrestling league. Unhinged connection of art, tech, and design. A lot of it is dead now. All of it was alive.

ROBOTOS · HELMETOS · CYBORGOS · COMPUTOS ·
One system, infinite little guys

One system, infinite little guys

Devilboto #6666. The rare ones got whole bodies.

The parts bin

Every Roboto is assembled from a library of hand-drawn traits: 38 head tops, 32 eyes, 18 helmets, 16 mouths… I drew the whole wardrobe first, then let the algorithm play dress-up. The rarest ones (Computos, Cyborgos) got entire bodies of their own.

droids minted
0droids minted
hand-drawn traits
0hand-drawn traits
lands in Roboto Land
0lands in Roboto Land
TIME magazine collab
0TIME magazine collab

Roboto Land

Owning a robot is fun for about a week. Living somewhere is forever. So we built Robopolis: an isometric city with an arcade, a cinema, a beauty salon, a museum of Roboto art (the MoRA, obviously), a prison for the naughty ones, and zeppelins because… zeppelins.

Robopolis from above. Every building drawn as its own little sprite.
Robopolis from above. Every building drawn as its own little sprite.
Arcade Center
Arcade Center
Museum of Roboto Art
Museum of Roboto Art
Cinema
Cinema
Pirate Island
Pirate Island
The Bueno blimp, drifting over the city
The Bueno blimp, drifting over the city
The map, hand-drawn first
The map, hand-drawn first

Robopets

Every robot needs a dog
It got out of hand immediately.

Every robot needs a dog

Robopets began as one sketch of a mechanical puppy and got out of hand immediately: kitties, bats, little steam-powered creatures. Holders could adopt them, dress them, and later breed… I mean, assemble new ones.

From the kennel

Dino kitty on a roomba

robotos

character

Steambat wardrobe builder

robotos

product
Eight robopets, zero chill

Eight robopets, zero chill

robotos

character
The trio, first color pass

The trio, first color pass

robotos

process

The cat lives in the screen

robotos

character
Pandabot in the bamboo

Pandabot in the bamboo

robotos

character

The TIME thing

In November 2021, TIME Studios announced they'd develop an animated kids' series based on Robotos… one of the first NFT-native IPs headed for TV. The Hollywood Reporter wrote about it. My mom asked if that meant I was famous now. (No, mamá, but the robots kind of were.)

It has always been my aspiration to bring characters to life and create a universe around them.
Me, in the Hollywood Reporter, trying to sound serious
Athleteboto, for TIMEPieces
Roboto of the Year

Off the screen

The mural in Roma Norte, CDMX
The mural in Roma Norte, CDMX
Hand-drawn ones, IRL
Hand-drawn ones, IRL
Revolution posters, printed
Revolution posters, printed
Merch line
Merch line
Times Square, briefly
Times Square, briefly
Crossover episode at the Humankind studio
Crossover episode at the Humankind studio

Keep digging

Sad? What even is that?

robotos

game

Owl getting its face

robotos

process

Disco head, shades on

robotos

illustration
One-eyed, fully armed

One-eyed, fully armed

robotos

character
Tiny bot, big disco

Tiny bot, big disco

robotos

illustration
Six fighter sketches

Six fighter sketches

robotos

process
Micro-chips for Suzy

Micro-chips for Suzy

robotos

comic

Robotos taught me that a character system can hold a whole world… and that communities will take your drawings further than you ever planned. Domo arigato.

Next up

Humankind →

A magical world for the kid in all of us.