7723 smiles at the teenaged girl who activated him and says, “I will do everything you tell me to do, Mai!” His weapons systems whirring, 7723 eagerly zips behind Mai as she heads out to confront her bullies.
Construct Compelling Characters: How to Write a Robot (Part 2/2)
Writing Practice
Developing an engaging protagonist can be challenging, especially if said character is a robot. Let us turn to some of our favourite movies to find out how we can develop robot characters that will delight and excite our readers!
Relatability
While it is not a human character, giving your robot recognisable emotional traits helps your reader understand its motives and connect with it.
Next Gen’s 7723
Big Hero 6’s Baymax
Baymax scans Hiro’s vitals and quickly treats his wounds. He was designed to care, but he has become more than just a robot nurse; he is Hiro’s closest friend. “Are you feeling okay?” he asks, giving the sobbing Hiro a reassuring hug.
Wall-E
Wall-E trundles along alone with his cube of trash. His fellow trash-collector robots have all stopped functioning. His favourite song starts playing on the old MP3 player he salvaged, and he dances excitedly. At the chorus, Wall-E suddenly goes still, as he longs for someone to dance with.
