Hubot by Hubotics, Carlsbad, ca. 1984

Hubot is 44-inch tall, 110 pound battery-operated personal robot and when programmed, Hubot will remember how to get around the house without bumping into walls. Hubot includes a complete mobile work station, an Entertainment package and robotic functions. The entertainment package included a voice synthesizer with a 1200-word vocabulary, a 12” black and white television, and AM/FM stereo cassette player, an Atari 2600 video game set and a digital clock that displayed time and temperature.

Inside is a complete proprietary SysCon computer with B&W monitor, Detachable keyboard and optional printer which is used to do computing task and control the robotic functions. There was an optional voice command module that included a microphone to command Hubot verbally. Hubot could be preprogrammed to follow a programmed path or driven with a joystick. Once taught a path, Hubot could be command to follow it again with the touch of a button.

Hubotics, Inc. was a small start-up company formed in Carlsbad (San Diego North County area), California in 1984. The company came together to design and build a personal home robot, which was named Hubot (a contraction of Human and Robot). The idea for Hubot came from Mike Forino. He enrolled the services of Dan English for the computer hardware and software development, and Glen Keith for the industrial design, mechanical design, and support graphics. Hubot was first shown at the January 1984 Winter Consumer Electronics show.

Comments from Glen Keith, Industrial Designer mechanical designer, and support graphics designer:

“We started designing and prototyping from our homes at first. A real garage shop start-up! I built several mockups from foam core to explore the ergonomics of keyboard height, CRT viewing, etc. We also explored mechanical designs for the motors and drive wheels. Dan was working on the computer design from scratch and would come down occasionally to review with Mike and me. The prototypes evolved and ideas explored until I was ready to build a full-size working model.

“I made the first full-size working model of the body from 1/8” sheet styrene, cut and glued together.  For the head, which was contoured, I carved a block of Styrofoam (urethane foam? I don’t remember) and then covered it with fiberglass. Then I chipped away the foam to make a hollow shape that we could put the TV into. The foam/fiberglass head was made in my backyard with a lot of foam dust everywhere. I had a large drawing board in the bedroom and generally converted our home to my workshop. Thank goodness my wife was supportive of this adventure!

“About this time we moved into a 1000 square foot unit in Carlsbad where we could all work together. It was one big room with a couple of small offices up front. Dan was a country and western music fan and liked to play his music all day long. It drove me nuts after a while!

“Since Hubot was fully mobile and housed a computer and TV, the body had to be very strong, yet inexpensive to make. Like most start-up companies, low cost manufacturing drove many design decisions. I chose to have the body made in one piece out of roto molded polyethylene plastic (the stuff water tanks and trash cans are made of).  It formed a structural exoskeleton that held all the other components. It had a nice surface finish with integral color so scratches would not show and it was practically indestructible.

“To prevent Hubot from driving into an object, we used a sonic transducer (like was used on Polaroid cameras to determine depth of field). This was placed in a rotating collar so Hubot could scan the immediate path in front of him and even scan the entire room. I made the prototype collar out of sheet styrene also but it needed to have gear teeth all around about a 10” diameter “neck” of Hubot. I ground the teeth into the plastic with a Dremel tool. It took about half a day and made a very loud whining noise like a dentist’s drill. The sound echoed throughout the building and I got to drive everyone else crazy!”

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38 Behind the Scenes Photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger During the Making of “Commando” (1985)

Commando is a 1985 American action thriller film directed by Mark L. Lester and produced by Joel Silver. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role, alongside Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells, Bill Duke and Dan Hedaya. The musical score was composed by James Horner.

Principal photography began on April 22, 1985, and wrapped on June 6, 1985, after 45 days of filming. The film was shot on location in California. San Nicolas Island off the coast of Santa Barbara, to which Matrix flies to rescue his daughter, was filmed on the Pacific coast at San Simeon. The barracks that are “attacked” are actually beach properties belonging to the Hearst Castle Estate. The log cabin scenes, where Jenny is abducted, was filmed at Mt. Baldy. The house that Matrix storms at the film’s climax was actually the former main residence of the Harold Lloyd Estate in the Benedict Canyon district of Beverly Hills. The car chase scene between Sully and Matrix starts on Ventura Blvd and moves into the hills on Benedict Canyon. The Sherman Oaks Galleria, in Sherman Oaks, California, served as the film's shopping mall location, and was used for six days after 9pm, after stores closed. The film was originally set to cost $8 million, but it ended up costing $9 million once filming ended.
 

Commando was a box office success grossing over $57.5 million against a $9 million budget. The film debuted at number one on the weekend of October 4–6, 1985 in the United States and spent three consecutive weeks at the top position. Here, below is a collection of 38 behind the scenes photos from the making of Commando:  

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The Cast and Crew of “The Outsiders” Playing Football, 1982

Photos of the cast and crew of The Outsiders playing football in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1982. The photographs were taken by Victor Read. Now part of The Outsiders House Museum’s permanent collection.

30 Fascinating Photos Capture Street Scenes of Hong Kong in 1980

1980s in Hong Kong marks a period when the territory was known for its wealth and trademark lifestyle.

Still a crown colony (later dependent territory) of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong would be recognised internationally for its politics, entertainment and skyrocketing real estate prices. It would also go on to be the subject of intense negotiations between Britain and China, which would be resolved in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

These fascinating photos were taken by Torfaen Corvine that show street scenes of Hong Kong in late 1980.

Royal Hong Kong Police Land Rover, Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong, 1980

Royal Hong Kong Police vehicle, Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong, 1980

A boy of the Tanka People, boat dwelling fishermen often referred to by the Chinese and the British as "sea gypsies", Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong, 1980

Aberdeen Harbour with its famous floating restaurants, Hong Kong, 1980

Canon Jade Princess, Ocean Terminal, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 1980

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Courtney Love in Taiwan, ca. 1983

Courtney Love, roughly 18 years old, lived on fresh fruit and sushi, and stripped at night using the name ‘Crystal’ in Taiwan, ca. 1983.

“I was working at a dance hall in Taiwan, trying to earn money, so I could afford an apartment in San Francisco. I was utterly broke, so I was sleeping in a bed with a bunch of Brazilian dancers. I got crabs, and I had to get up every night to dance to Gloria Gaynor and Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel, Rebel.’ After a while, I was like, ‘Get me the fuck out of here.’ All these other dancers were constantly nodding out. We all had to wear numbers on our dress. But I had no money, and they were holding my passport, so I was kind of stuck.”

Fascinating Photos of a Young Sandra Bullock in the 1980s

Sandra Bullock has come a long way from her quiet childhood in Arlington, Virginia. She went on to become an Academy Award-winning actress as well as one of the most powerful women in Hollywood. The woman who’s led hit movies like Speed, Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, The Blind Side, Gravity and Bird Box has also been the world’s highest paid actress at multiple points in her career.

While she’s remained busy at work since first hitting the scene in the late 1980s, Sandra’s also found time to devote to her own production company as well as to her two children. But it all started in the Washington, D.C., suburb where she was born to an opera singer mother and an Army employee father.

For much of her childhood, Sandra Bullock and her family, which includes younger sister Gesine Bullock-Prado, also lived in Nuremberg, Germany, as well as Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, before the family returned to Arlington, Virginia, where Sandra attended high school. She studied ballet and vocal arts as a child before taking part in numerous theater productions as a teenager. Upon graduating from East Carolina University with a drama degree, Sandra headed to the Big Apple to pursue her dream of acting full time. She supported herself as a bartender, cocktail waitress and coat checker while auditioning and eventually landed a role in the off-Broadway play No Time Flat, which got her seen by a director who offered her a supporting role in the 1989 made-for-television film Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman.

Sandra Bullock closed out the 1980s by snagging small roles in a few independent films before landing her first on-screen lead role on the 1990 sitcom Working Girl. The NBC series was loosely based on the hit 1988 film of the same name starring Melanie Griffith, with Sandra taking over the part for the television adaptation. The midseason series follows a spunky, independent secretary who’s suddenly become a junior executive after charming the company’s owner. Unfortunately, the show drew low ratings and was short-lived: It was canceled after eight of the 12 episodes produced aired.

Here, below are some amazing photographs of a very young Sandra Bullock back in the late 1980s:

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50 Amazing Behind the Scenes Photographs From the Making of the Film “RoboCop” (1987)

RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, and Miguel Ferrer. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit in the near future, RoboCop centers on police officer Alex Murphy (Weller) who is murdered by a gang of criminals but revived by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products as the cyborg law enforcer RoboCop. Unaware of his former life, RoboCop executes a campaign against crime while coming to terms with the lingering fragments of his humanity.

Principal photography began on August 6, 1986, on an $11 million budget. Jost Vacano was the cinematographer, after working with Verhoeven on Soldier of Orange. Verhoeven wanted Blade Runner production designer Lawrence G. Paull, but Davison said he could afford either a great production designer or a great RoboCop costume – not both. William Sandell was hired. Monte Hellman directed several of the action scenes.

RoboCop was filmed primarily on location in Dallas, with additional filming in Las Colinas and Pittsburgh. Verhoeven wanted a filming location which suggested the near future. Detroit was dismissed because it had many low buildings, many brownstones and Victorian-style buildings. Neumeier said that it was also a union city, making it more expensive to film there. Detroit made a brief appearance in nighttime, stock aerial footage at the beginning of the film. Chicago was dismissed for aesthetic reasons, New York City for high costs, and California because according to Davison, Orion wanted to distance itself from the project. Dallas was chosen over Houston because it has modern buildings and older, less-maintained areas where explosives could be used. The filming schedule in Dallas was nine weeks, but it soon became clear that it would take longer. Based on filmed footage, Orion approved the schedule extension and a budget increase to $13.1 million. The weather fluctuated during filming; Dallas in summer was often 90 to 115 °F (32 to 46 °C), and the weather in Pittsburgh was frigid.

RoboCop’s costume was not finished until some time into filming. This did not impact the shooting schedule, but it denied Weller the month of costume rehearsal he had expected. Weller was frustrated with the costume; it was too cumbersome for him to move as he had practiced, and he spent hours trying to adapt. He struggled to see through the thin helmet visor and interact with (or grab) objects while wearing the gloves. Weller fell out with Verhoeven and was fired, with Lance Henriksen considered as a replacement; because the costume was designed for Weller, however, he was encouraged to mend fences. Mime Moni Yakim helped Weller to develop a slower, more deliberate way of moving. Weller’s experience in the costume was worsened by the warm weather, which made him sweat off up to 3 lb (1.4 kg) per day. Verhoeven began taking prescription medication to cope with stress-induced insomnia, and he filmed scenes under the influence.

He often choreographed scenes with the actors before filming. Improvisation was also encouraged, because Verhoeven believed that it could produce interesting results. Smith improvised some of his character’s quirks, such as sticking chewing gum to a secretary’s desk and spitting blood onto the police-station counter: “‘What if I spat blood on the desk?’ ... [Verhoeven] got this little smile on his face, and we did it.” Neumeier was on set throughout filming and occasionally wrote additional scenes, including a New Year’s Eve party after seeing some party-hat props and a news story about the Strategic Defense Initiative platform misfiring. Verhoeven found Neumeier’s presence invaluable, because they could discuss how to adapt the script or location to make a scene work.

Verhoeven gained a reputation for verbal aggression and unsociable behavior on set; Smith said that he never yelled at the actors, however, but was too engrossed in filming to be sociable. Cox and Allen spoke warmly of Verhoeven. Weller spent his time between filming with the actors who played his enemies (including Smith, Ray Wise and Calvin Jung), who maintained healthy lifestyles that supported Weller in his training for the New York City Marathon.

A number of locations in and around Dallas were used in production. An office in Renaissance Tower was used for the OCP interior of; the company’s exterior is Dallas City Hall, modified with matte paintings to appear taller. The OCP elevator was that of the Plaza of the Americas. The Detroit police station’s exterior is Crozier Tech High School; its interior is the Sons of Hermann hall, and city hall is the Dallas Municipal Building. Scenes of Boddicker’s gang blowing up storefronts were filmed in the Deep Ellum neighborhood. One explosion was larger than anticipated; actors can be seen moving out of the way, Smith had to remove his coat because it was on fire, and the actors involved received an additional $400 in stunt pay. The Shell gas station that explodes was in the Arts District, where local residents unaware of the filming called the fire department. The scene was scripted for flames to modify the sign to read “hell”; Davison approved it, but it does not appear in the film. Miner called it a disappointing omission.

The nightclub was the former Starck Club. Verhoeven was filmed demonstrating how the clubbers should dance, and used the footage in the film. Other Dallas locations included César Chávez Boulevard, the Reunion Arena and the parking lot of the Crescent. The final battle between RoboCop and Boddicker’s gang was filmed at a steel mill in Monessen, outside Pittsburgh. Filming ended in late October 1986.

Verhoeven emphasized violence throughout the film, making it so outlandish that it became comical. Censorship boards believed that it was too extreme and several scenes were shortened or modified to receive an acceptable theatrical rating. RoboCop was a financial success upon its release in July 1987, earning $53.4 million. Reviewers praised it as a clever action film with deeper philosophical messages and satire, but were conflicted about its extreme violence. The film was nominated for several awards, and won an Academy Award and a number of Saturn Awards.

RoboCop has been critically reevaluated since its release, and it has been hailed as one of the best films of the 1980s and one of the greatest science fiction and action films ever made. The film has been praised for its depiction of a robot affected by the loss of humanity, in contrast to the stoic and emotionless robotic characters of that era. RoboCop has continued to be analyzed for its themes such as the nature of humanity, personal identity, corporate greed and corruption, and is seen as a rebuke of the era’s Reaganomics policies. Its success created a franchise: the sequels RoboCop 2 (1990) and RoboCop 3 (1993), children’s animated series, live-action television shows, video games, comic books, toys, clothing and other merchandise. A remake was released in 2014.

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23 Publicity Photos From the Set of “Trading Places” (1983)

Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis, the film tells the story of an upper-class commodities broker (Aykroyd) and a poor street hustler (Murphy) whose lives cross when they are unwittingly made the subjects of an elaborate bet to test how each man will perform when their life circumstances are swapped.

Harris conceived the outline for Trading Places in the early 1980s after meeting two wealthy brothers who were engaged in an ongoing rivalry with each other. He and his writing partner Weingrod developed the idea as a project to star Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. When they were unable to participate, Landis cast Aykroyd—with whom he had worked previously—and a young but increasingly popular Murphy in his second feature-film role. Landis also cast Curtis against the intent of the studio, Paramount Pictures; she was famous mainly for her roles in horror films, which were looked down upon at the time. Principal photography took place from December 1982 to March 1983, entirely on location in Philadelphia and New York City. Elmer Bernstein scored the film, using Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera buffa The Marriage of Figaro as an underlying theme.

Trading Places was considered a box-office success on its release, earning over $90.4 million to become the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1983 in the United States and Canada, and $120.6 million worldwide. It also received generally positive reviews, with critics praising both the central cast and the film’s revival of the screwball comedy genre prevalent in the 1930s and 1940s while criticizing Trading Places for lacking the same moral message of the genre while promoting the accumulation of wealth. It received multiple award nominations including an Academy Award for Bernstein’s score and won two BAFTA awards for Elliott and Curtis. The film also launched or revitalized the careers of its main cast, who each appeared in several other films throughout the 1980s. In particular, Murphy became one of the highest-paid and most sought after comedians in Hollywood.

In the years since its release, the film has been praised as one of the greatest comedy films and Christmas films ever made despite some criticism of its use of racial jokes and language. In 2010, the film was referenced in Congressional testimony concerning the reform of the commodities trading market designed to prevent the insider trading demonstrated in Trading Places. In 1988, Bellamy and Ameche reprised their characters for Murphy’s comedy film Coming to America.

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Richard Simmons Was a Lover of Dalmatians and Had Many of Them Over the Years

Richard Simmons, exercise guru, and sometimes the butt of snickering, has always shown empathy and great humor; for many people, he’s been a lifeline. Some of us may not know that as an adult, he’s been a devoted Dalmatian owner. When out of town, Richard called his house every night to talk to the dogs and sing to them.

Some of his Dals were named after characters from Gone With the Wind (Scarlett, Pittypat, Melanie). “Hattie,” in particular, was Simmons’ constant companion and went everywhere with him, including his Los Angeles exercise studio.

Simmons began his weight-loss career by opening his gym Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He was often parodied and was a frequent guest of late-night television and radio talk shows, such as the Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.

Simmons continued to promote health and exercise through a decades-long career, and later broadened his activities to include political activism, such as in 2008 in support of a bill mandating noncompetitive physical education in public schools as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Richard Simmons has been out of the public eye lately, though there were reports of a biopic being made about the fitness enthusiast earlier this year. He criticized the reports, writing, “Don’t believe everything you read. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful.”

Simmons died at his home in Los Angeles on July 13, 2024, at the age of 76. Police said that his death appeared to be from natural causes. Simmons posted prolifically on social media, often several times a day. He posted about his birthday on Facebook a day before his death, writing, “Thank you… I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday.”

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18 Photos of Harrison Ford on the Set of “Working Girl” (1988)

Harrison Ford’s cinematic career reached new heights in the 1980s, where he delivered memorable performances as Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and Rick Deckard. But amidst these era-defining movies, Ford also starred in a less well-known romantic comedy alongside Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver. Working Girl (1988) foregrounds the lovable and comedic side to Ford that we only catch glimpses of in his other major appearances of the decade. The role of Jack Trainer, a dashing mergers and acquisitions associate, shows Ford at his most charming, where his performance transforms this movie into a classic of the genre.

As Jack, Harrison Ford expands on his gift for moments of wry comedy, a trait so smoothly exhibited throughout the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises. His performance helps to elevate Working Girl to the status of a romantic-comedy classic. Despite being overshadowed by the decade’s other blockbusters, Working Girl was nominated for six Academy Awards, and proceeded to win four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category. This highlights the film’s brilliance, where stunning 80s hair and make-up combines with a strong cast and a rewarding storyline.

Ultimately Ford delivers handsomeness and hilarity in equal measure throughout, emphasizing the talent of his co-stars whilst adding his own unique mix of robustness and natural allure. As such, Jack Trainer shows Ford at his most charming, elevating Working Girl to the pinnacle of its genre.

The film was released in the United States on December 21, 1988, in 1,051 theaters and grossed $4.7 million on its opening weekend. It went on to make $63.8 million in North America and $39.2 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $103 million.

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Freddie Mercury Once Refused to Meet Prince Charles, Princess Diana at Live Aid in 1985

Freddie Mercury did not want to meet Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the Live Aid despite having a special chance to do so.

Queen performing at Live Aid, 1985.

Mercury’s bandmates in Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor, have been headlining Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee celebrations. After the 2002 Diamond Jubilee, the duo performed at her Platinum Jubilee Party alongside Adam Lambert.

May and Taylor met Prince Charles and Diana at Live Aid in 1985. But at that time, Mercury did not attend the event.

The Princess of Wales, The Prince of Wales, David Bowie, Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen, during the Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

In an interview with Express UK, the late singer's close friend, Peter Freestone, revealed that the “Bohemian Rhapsody” hitmaker saw talking with his friends backstage as more important than meeting Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

“Even at Live Aid, you see Brian May and Roger Taylor in the royal box. Freddie didn’t go. He was more interested in being with friends backstage, talking with Elton John, and hanging out with his people. His friends were always the most important to him,” the late singer’s assistant said.

Mercury was also busy talking to U2 frontman Bono who was with his wife, Ali Stewart.

Backstage at Live Aid, 1985. Freddie Mercury hanging out with Felix, son of Roger Taylor and Dominique Beyrand (who is on the left, in the background), Jim Hutton, Joe Fanelli, Terry Gidings (Freddie’s driver/security guard), Crystal Taylor, Peter Freestone, and seated alongside Freddie, singer Adam Ant.

Freddie Mercury and David Bowie talking backstage during Live Aid, 1985.

With that, his refusal to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales did not have anything to do with the buzz about him making the late princess be in mischief mode.

For what it’s worth, actress Cleo Rocos revealed in her memoir, “The Positive Power of Drinking,” that she had a fun night with Princess Diana, Mercury, and Everette in the 1980s at the iconic gay club in London, Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

They helped her come up with her disguise. The Princess of Wales then ended up dressing in male clothes. The group also claimed they would not go there until Princess Diana finally looked like a gay model.