'P I T G I R L' (Female Robot Concept Design)

[JamieMartin]

These couple of sketch concepts are the first steps in a new robot creation I'm working on - 'Pit Girl'. I'm wanting to start my ROBOMOTOS world by creating a female bot that will act as the showgirl for any of my subsequent designs. Once I'm happy with one of her concepts, I'll then develop it in 3D.

My first attempt below is a bit too masculine looking for my liking. I think I need to emphasise the hips and thighs, pinch the waist in a bit more and make the chest more feminine. The second attempt addresses these issues somewhat, but still needs more developing. They're at least a starting point, and are something along the lines of the direction I want to head in, but there's a bit of a way to go before I'm happy. Of course I'll update my progress as I go....

Thanks for looking and feel free to comment and crit.

[JeffX99]

I like the idea in general - really cool. I agree with your own analysis...in some ways I like the first face more though - upturned, small nose, better lip indication (but these are minor at this stage).

You know what you're doing with design and drawing so I'll just throw out how I would tackle making a sexy robot. The trick I think is you don't want something typical but something that seems functional, practical but not over the top "pleasure-bot". Am I on the right track?

First, I'd go to my Sorayama books - hard to get sexier chrome than that. Next maybe Philip Castle though he's obscure. I'd look at my Syd Mead and Luigi Colani books. I would dig out my Bridgman "human machine" book as well. I would also grab my concept car books, morocycle concept books and car styling books. I would also grab my Metroplois reference for the Futura robot. I'm probably missing some but that is where I'd start.

I think you're going to have to balance between the rigid "panels/plates" look (which seems believable) and a curvier, but still business-like surface. Might consider some head gear that amps up a hot-sexiness kind of thing - like a wrap-around face shield/sunglasses combo - headset and mike com gear, etc. Plus I think making the eyes more prominent and "elegant" will help.

Other than that I try to follow basic body components, like her torso/chest plate should maybe follow along the lines of a ribcage more. Nice neck/collarbone articulation and gracefulness, etc. Other ideas are to imagine lingirie/bustier/gloves/hose only incorporate/modify them so they aren't obvious, but just part of her "build".

Hope some of those ideas help - I look forward to the next rev!

[JamieMartin]

JeffX99 - You're spot on with your 'functional' analysis. That's exactly what I'm after. I like the idea of the 'Sonny' iRobot concept, or Bjorks's 'All is Full Of Love" robot, but instead of the organic-looking body parts (eg the very human-like faces), I'd like to make something that is more industrial looking, with panels and sculpted forms.

Curves are the obvious route to go down, but the Sorayama robots are not the kind of thing I'm after. To me they aren't robots as such - to my eyes they are more resembling models sprayed with chrome paint and wearing Robocop's helmet. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's not really what I'm after. I need things to look functional, however crazy they may be; they have to have some logic to them. And this is why I'm trying to go down a not-so-easy route of creating a robotic female-like robot that is more robot than curvy model. My challenge is to see if I am able to convey the concept of this being 'female' and possibly even 'sexy' without going down the obvious Sorayam-like curves route. I'd like to combine curves with more angular, chiseled forms, and see if there's still a way of still making her look womanly.

And thanks for the reference pointers. I like the idea of her rocking some accessories (visor etc) - I might look into that notion.

Below is a further study of the head and upper torso. It's still not exactly what I'm after, but worth getting a variety of concepts down on paper to pick and choose from. Though she looks a bit evil here, according to the girlfriend, which I'd have to agree with. I think I'll try and explore removing any signs of a mouth and see if this can still look feminine....

[JeffX99]

This is looking good - I like the shoulders/neck and the articulation seems reasonable. I didn't mention before but I also like the feel of teh "flexible, carbon-fiber woven underarmor skin suit" thing under the plating - makes sense to keep debris out from flexible areas.

I prefer the chest plate now with the sternal notch kind of area mimicing the ribcage. Also like the ear-piece separation.

Not sure I'd lose the lips - I'd probably enhance them if anything - and I definitely thein teh eyes are going to carry a lot of the sexiness.

If it were me I would try faceting the bottom of her boobs - like the bottom half of a hexagon. If it were me.

You don't really need any advice from me but again, if it were me, I would push it toward sexy and curvy, beyond what you really want and then pull it back, might be easier than trying to "hit a tight target without going too far", if you know what I mean?

Have you thought about a color scheme? I'll send/post a ref or two if I can track it down...I think you'd dig it.

Totally hear you about Sorayama - that is an accurate description (the chrome painted model) - as much as I like him I've never done anything too close to his either - just general ref to have in my head.

Anyway, it's looking great and I'm enjoying seeing it develop. Definitely worth a lot of effort since she's going to play a major factor in your concept.

[JamieMartin]

Thanks JeffX99 for the feedback. I'll probably be exploring different ideas for a while yet, so I've then got a selection to pick and choose from and to see what may/may not be usable.

Below is a continuation of this.... I'm experimenting with seeing whether having a more 'faceless' robot could still be feminine looking - I'm not yet sure if any of them are successful or not - I don't like the bottom-left one.

The bottom 3 images were actually doodled while travelling on a VERY bumpy train to London, this is why they're a bit rough. Though I do quite like the face on the bottom-right concept, so might develop that idea a bit further.

C&C Welcomed.

[BigJiantRobut]

Those are looking really good. I'd recommend looking at some early science fiction like Metropolis that used this kind of idea a lot. Some of the more technical shots in films like Ghost in the Shell might be useful, too:







The last two have a bigger emphasis on looking "human" without the chrome and all, but they might still be helpful for nailing that sexy-inanimate-thing vibe.

[JamieMartin]

BigJianRobot - sorry for my delayed response, but thatnks for the feedback and influence references. Much appreciated.

Work commitments have prevented me from doing any recent updates, but here I am with some of the latest versions. I feel that the more polished sketch below is getting close to what I'm after. I think I'll start playing with illustrating her digitally now and see what comes of it. Opinions on the design direction she's taking are welcomed.

Thanks for looking.

[Velocity Kendall]

You mentioned All Is Full of Love, which totally nailed this theme, but robot chicks have been arounds since horny guys started looking at washing machines and put 2 and 2 together...

Here are some others: note stilletto feet in place of deeply unsexy flats





Youre working on Gravity? Id sell my parents to do concept art for an SF movie, sounds like loads of fun!

[JamieMartin]

Velocity Kendall - Good point about the stilettos - I'll see if that's something that can be integrated. Most of the robotic female designs I've seen so far look much like a mannequin that has been diced up into sections and joined back together in a vaguely robotic way (much like the first image you attached). I'm trying to go for something that is more purposely robotic, yet feminine as well, rather than just using a female face, curvaceous breasts etc. Actually, I might even need to push the 'industrial' aspect of the robot design a bit more. I'd appreciate opinions on the design direction and whether the face is feminine/cute enough, or if other sketches were better?

Yes, i was working on 'Gravity' in pre-production. They've started production now and filming is well under way over at Shepperton.

Also, does anyone know how to add a thumbnail image to this thread so that it shows up in the forum next to the thread title? Currently mine is blank for some reason!

Thanks for looking.

[Velocity Kendall]

"Actually, I might even need to push the 'industrial' aspect of the robot design a bit more. I'd appreciate opinions on the design direction and whether the face is feminine/cute enough, or if other sketches were better?"

Two questions really, 1) robogirls are an ancient species, there are thousands of them on google image search.. theyre hackneyed to the point you hardly even see them anymore. Why not do something new?
And also whats the design rationale behind making a robot look like a woman? Sure, many designs evoke femininity, from guitars to the Lamborghini Miura, but come on, a machine that looks like a mechanical woman complete with plastic tits is creepy as hell. Even JF Sebbastien only made little friends and not sex bots...
"Also, does anyone know how to add a thumbnail image to this thread so that it shows up in the forum next to the thread title? Currently mine is blank for some reason!"

Attach an image to the first post using the attachment manager, then it should show up in the little thumbnail!

[Lithriel]

I like what you are doing with these concepts, but if I were you I would add more femininity to the eyes. Now I don't mean realistic per se, but exaggerate the titled form and go perhaps even a tad catlike on them. You don't have to actually add eyes in there, it's more about the shape of the brow area than anything. There is a way to do this and still have it look industrial, especially when juxtaposed with the lips you have already established. I think it would really drive the point home that the robot is female.

Let me just say I have enjoyed the evolution of these concepts. I especially like the idea where it looks like she has a hat on!

[JamieMartin]

Velocity Kendall - why do I want to do a female robot? Firstly, 'she' is the first design I'm tackling from a possible bigger project. Secondly, I'd like to experiment with human forms - it's something I've note played with very much. Thirdly, I don't see any female robot designs out there that have been done overly successfully. Have you? I'm not looking at designing something that looks like a 'sex bot', but rather an industrial-like humanoid robot that is more feminine looking than masculine. I'm just trying to establish the right balance.

Also, I'll try attaching an image to the first post to see if that works. Thanks for the advice.

Lithriel - thanks for the pointer - that could work. I'll have a look at alternatives for the face/head.

[Velocity Kendall]

"Thirdly, I don't see any female robot designs out there that have been done overly successfully. Have you?"

Yeah loads:
Well, successfully is debateable: sexist definitely, but also slick and retaining a femenine bodyplan crossed with techy graphics.. from Ghost in the Shell via every anime ever made to Bladerunner to Metropolis to Austen Powers to that incredible Bjork video... the fembot/gynoid/robochick is every adolescent male art fan's favourite topic isnt it? She'll need a big gun too...

[JamieMartin]

Velocity Kendall - a lot of this has been covered above. The Bjork robot is, IMO, the most successfully designed female-like robot so-far, but, as mentioned, isn't exactly what I'm wanting to achieve. I'd like to try something that is aesthetically more robotic (mechanised), without resorting to using a human-like face/mask and curvaceous round breasts to suggest it's of the 'female' variety. I guess the thinking is that I don't wan to include details or forms that serve no purpose.

The final function of this robot is in it's/her title - 'Pit Girl'. She's intended to be the showgirl and pit-crew service robot for a flamboyant futuristic vehicle race series (think F1). So, key objectives are that there needs to be hints of glamour, functionality, femininity, utilitarianism, etc with a taste of motor racing thrown in.

Attached is another proposal - heading in a slightly different direction. This is an experiment with having a faceless, less obviously feminine concept; a slightly more industrialised robotic approach....

[element1988]

it looks very feminine up to the knees for me, when i see them calfs i think to myself.. i wish my calfs were that big and manly.

[JamieMartin]

Element1988 - I see your point about the calfs - I think it has possibly become a bit too angular and chunky down there. The forearms need working on too.

[element1988]

I'm also a little concerned about the shoulders, they look like they would have limited movement and when working on machines with her arms i would think having the maximum range of movement would be beneficial. Maybe im seeing it wrong but it looks like it would move the same way a propeller would move.

[JamieMartin]

Element1988 - I'll sort out visual details like that when refining the final proposal. It's safe to assume all joints would function the same as a human's, ie the shoulder would be a ball and socket joint.

Here's a revised version of the previous robot proposal, with alternative features/details....

[JamieMartin]

An amalgamation of the previous 2 proposals....

[freiheit]

My humble opinion is that hips are a lot more crucial to a feminine silhouette then breast. Right now, her shoulders appear as larger then her hips, making her a bit masculine.

I did a quick warp/liquify

She's still practical and her design isn't that changed, but she's now clearly female. If you want her to be heavier and stronger, I would focus on certain areas (like big, combat feet) while keeping a visible feminine frame around the waist and hip.

[JamieMartin]

Freiheit - that's a good observation - thanks. I've revised my previous post image, reducing the chunkiness of the upper torso slightly; not as much as you've illustrated, but hopefully to make it look less 'butch' now.

What are people's opinions of features from the previous concepts? Head, torso, legs, arms etc? Any working better visually than others?

[Giacomo]

Good stuff. I agree that the robots in the Bjork video represent the pinnacle of sexy-robot design so far. They're also far and away the most mechanically plausible. If it were me, I'd start thinking about the actual engineering of the thing--for example, right now she can't possibly walk with hips resembling anything in your sketch--the armor plates will bind if she tries to bend her leg at the hip.

As always, just my two cents.

[Velocity Kendall]

check this stuff out by Peter La, he absolutely destroys it i think; super stylish, original, awesome colours, the lot: a massive talent.

http://www.krop.com/peterla/#/87277/846869/

[JamieMartin]

Ok, I've been away from this for a loooong time, and with no progress whatsoever. Well, that's a little lie - there's some minor progress in the doodle sketches below.

I've had to put this project on the shelf for many months due to injury, work commitments, and many more numerous 'excuses'. I've also had a slight change of heart in 'theme' - I've decided that the Pitgirl concept will be more robotic/mechanical-looking rather than human-looking. Though I do still intend to try and make 'her' look feminine with the use of proportions and curves. My main challenge is the face - as mentioned I don't want it to have obviously human features (ie a human-looking nose, mouth, etc) as that's far too obvious and easy. This is the area that needs most further exploration and development.

The premise of these PITGIRLs are that there will minor variations between each one, depending on their role. The example below shows one with a detachable backpack - she's possibly a communications robot (hence the twin aerials). Other PITGIRLs will have different equipment/features to reflect the service they're undertaking.

I'm hoping that by posting these doodles here for all to see, it might kick me back into continuing this project and take it to it's fruition of being a polished design and 3D model.

[JamieMartin]

Here's one possible direction the design of the robot's head could go in. The question is, is it feminine enough to not be mistaken for possibly being male?

[JamieMartin]

Here's another more refined update for the design of the head. I think the full body sketch also here is the design I'm going to go with; I just need to illustrate it more accurately to refine the details before I can begin 3D modelling.

[JeffX99]

Here's my thinking...again sort of. You're trying to force this into sort of a fine balance...that wouldn't really exist. These are designed machines, right? They would be designed for either aesthetics...or function. Sure, maybe a little of both, but one needs to dominate.

The current direction with the eyes squished together and no real structure/features just isn't attractive/aesthetic (to me)...and there isn't any apparent reason for that, like technology, material, complex systems jammed into a tight space, etc. So you're kind of setting up rules to follow that wouldn't be followed if this was real. Does that make sense?

Just me but my recommendation would be to make her attractive first, then engineer backward and simplify if you want.

[JamieMartin]

JeffX99 - Thanks. I understand your reasoning, and admit I've set myself a slightly obscure challenge, of which I'm still trying to achieve the right balance.



The above (very rough) doodles have some more feminine-looking faces, which I subsequently rejected for the reason of being too 'obvious' (or looking like a Mortal Kombat character!). I'm not wanting 'her' to look like a "Sex Bot" or sultry, sexy robot, but more a functional piece of hardware that, when seen as a whole unit, is more feminine than masculine in appearance. As I said, I've had a bit of a change of heart since I first started this - my initial concepts feature the expected breasts, feminine face, cheekbones, eyes, nose, lips etc. But, as others have mentioned, it's all been done before, and when I think about it, it's not really the direction I want to head in. The robot should come across as a 'she', in my eyes, mainly down to her proportions and curves - hips, thighs, and overall build (more delicate than muscular). This is why I've deliberately tried to go low-key with the face. It's too easy to just add female-looking eyes, a nose and luscious lips. But to me this will just look like a cast of a female face attached to the front of a robot head (which the majority of these 'female bots' look like). I appreciate that your perception of the robot should be veering more towards including the eyes, nose, lips-look, which I totally understand. I'm just trying to experiment with something different here. Look at it almost as "how few features associated with 'why a female looks like a female' can I get away with, before she isn't recognisable as feminine."

It would be interesting to hear what other people's opinions are regarding the more 'plain robotic' face as opposed to the 'human-like' face. If anyone viewing has an opinion, please post with your thoughts.

Jamie

[Velocity Kendall]

these ones look like they are screaming to me





i like how this classic 80s one has a visor like robocop but a sext mouth..

[JamieMartin]

these ones look like they are screaming to me

Interesting. So presumably you're seeing the open space where the face should be as a large open mouth instead? Here is a slightly revised version I was working on:



I'm getting the impression the general consensus is that this isn't a direction that's appealing?

Regarding the Sorayama chrome female robots, I agree they're very cool, but they've been done before many, many times. I'm trying to go for something different; less sexy, more mechanical, but still feminine. Also these Sorayama designs seem to have been influenced elsewhere in pop culture too, such as Michael Jackson's 1997 History Tour costume: