It's been a tough life for R2-D2. Originally designed as an astromech droid for in-flight spaceship repairs, he's seen a lot of action. He stands quietly to the right of the elevators on the fifth floor of Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). The desert dust on his famous blue and white chassis tells the story of his time on Tatooine, and all the scuff marks and dents belie his role as a pivotal player in the Galactic Civil Wars. For now, he appears to be resting—and a well-deserved rest it is—but soon he and the other 17 inductees into the Robot Hall of Fame will move to their permanent digs at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center as part of the new Roboworld permanent exhibit opening next spring.

There, Star Wars' R2-D2 will enter semi-retirement in a role that suits both his intergalactic fame and his indomitable sunniness. He'll be part ambassador, part carnival-barker, greeting visitors in an interactive welcome center for the exhibit designed by Carnegie Mellon ETC students Jessica Ament, Josh Jeffery, Natasha Kelkar, Betsy McIver, Andrew Moore, Valerie Sofranko, and faculty advisor Shirley Saldamarco.

The team had only one semester, 15 weeks, to conceive, design, and create the entrance exhibit. Sofranko—an artist with a background in Hollywood special effects—says she and the other students on the team gelled, no small feat as their backgrounds ranged from computer science to theater set design.

They had to create an exhibit that would not just welcome visitors, but function as part gift shop, part information booth. They succeeded. In the exhibit, R2-D2 will provide friendly beeps and chirps to incoming visitors, drawing them over. A touch-screen hand-scan will get R2-D2 to project a hologram of his compatriot and translator C-3PO. R2-D2 and C-3PO will then teach the visitors a bit about the Robot Hall of Fame, Roboworld's centerpiece. Finally, the robotic duo will offer to assist guests in creating a personalized photographic souvenir featuring their favorite 'bot, which they can email to themselves.

For now, though, R2-D2 sits and waits next to the elevators, waiting for the exhibit to open. It's hard not to get the sense that R2 is a little bored, counting down the hours until he can begin his new job. It's not the swamps of Dagobah or the halls of the Death Star, but you can tell that R2 looks forward to his new duties. He is, after all, a people person. Err, robot.

—BRADLEY A. PORTER (HS'08)