27 powered axes
Engineered Arts specifies 27 powered head, arm and body axes for the RT4. Hand cylinders and the jaw servo are separate actuators. [2][1]
Price & availability
Engineered Arts has not published a price
Discontinued
Current dataset status: Discontinued.
Product overview
About Engineered Arts RoboThespian
RoboThespian was a life-size, interactive and programmable humanoid exhibit from Engineered Arts, a company founded in 2004 and based in Falmouth, Cornwall. The RT4 documentation describes a robot for public display, demonstration and academic research. Its upper body, arms, hands, head and jaw are actuated, while its standard legs are passive.
The official technical specification lists a height of 1750 mm without the floor base (1775 mm with it), a robot-only weight of 33 kg (44 kg with the floor base), and a reach of 840 mm with the arms forward. Engineered Arts specifies 27 powered head, arm and body axes. The arms combine pneumatic air muscles with DC servo motors, while pneumatic cylinders close the hands. The installation uses AC mains power and an external 6-bar compressed-air supply.
The official wiki also describes a head camera, gaze tracking, eye-contact sensing, gesture response, facial-expression recognition and QR-code reading. The first RoboThespian dates to 2005. Engineered Arts' current product catalogue lists Ameca, Mesmer and desktop robots but no RoboThespian, and the former RoboThespian product and model-specific sales pages are no longer live. No current manufacturer sales route was found, so this record is marked discontinued.
“RoboThespian™ model RT4 is a life size, interactive, fully programmable humanoid robot exhibit.”
Capabilities
Key features
Hybrid pneumatic and servo drive
Air muscles and DC servo motors drive the upper body, and pneumatic cylinders close the hands. [1]
Interactive perception
A head camera, gaze tracking and onboard sensing support eye contact, gesture response, facial-expression recognition and QR code reading. [2]
Mains and compressed-air supply
The robot runs from 100–250 V AC mains and needs un-oiled compressed air at 6 bar, filtered to 10 µm. [2]
Exhibit and research use
Engineered Arts describes RoboThespian as a life-size, interactive, fully programmable humanoid exhibit for public display, demonstration and academic research. [5]
Hardware profile
Specifications
Official — stated by the manufacturer or organizerReported — stated by a credible third partyEstimated — derived or approximate
Body
Mobility
Power
- Swappable battery
- NoOfficial — stated by the manufacturer or organizer[2]Mains-powered installation; no battery
Hands & Manipulation
- Hand / end effector
- Pneumatic hand cylinders (8 in total)Official — stated by the manufacturer or organizer[1]
Compute & Sensing
Show unknown fields (8)
Mobility
- Maximum speed
- Not published
- Peak joint torque
- Not published
Power
- Battery
- Not published
- Runtime
- Not published
- Charge time
- Not published
Hands & Manipulation
- DoF per hand
- Not published
- Payload
- Not published
Compute & Sensing
- AI stack
- Not published
Quick answers
Engineered Arts RoboThespian FAQ
Can you buy Engineered Arts RoboThespian?
No general order page is verified. Engineered Arts RoboThespian is currently classified as discontinued. [1]
How tall is Engineered Arts RoboThespian and how much does it weigh?
Engineered Arts RoboThespian is 175 cm tall and weighs 33 kg (Robot only; 44 kg with floor base). [1]
How many degrees of freedom does Engineered Arts RoboThespian have?
Engineered Arts RoboThespian has 27 listed degrees of freedom; Powered head, arm and body axes; hand cylinders and jaw servo are separate actuators. [2]
Who makes Engineered Arts RoboThespian?
Engineered Arts RoboThespian is made by Engineered Arts, based in United Kingdom. [1]
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Evaluation footprint
Benchmarks & competitions
No benchmark embodiments or results reference this robot yet.
Related
Similar robots
Evidence
Sources
- [1]RoboThespian Technical Spec (Engineered Arts wiki) ↗Engineered Arts · official · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- [2]RoboThespian At a Glance (Engineered Arts wiki) ↗Engineered Arts · official · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- [3]Current Engineered Arts robot catalogue ↗Engineered Arts · official · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- [4]RoboThespian (Wikipedia) ↗Wikipedia · database · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- [5]RoboThespian overview (Engineered Arts wiki) ↗Engineered Arts · official · accessed Oct 8, 2026