The Talk Circuit

Presenting Robot Redford

Commencement speakers generally feel a bit nervous but pleased to have been asked. But at Maryland's Anne Arundel Community College later this month, the not-entirely-welcome commencement speaker will feel nothing, because he is an it: a 5-ft.-2-in.-tall, 175-lb. mobile machine loaded with a computer and named, by its California manufacturer, Robot Redford.

Surprisingly, the invitation originated with the dean, Anthony Pappas, who wanted to dramatize the high-tech transformation of the working world. Says Pappas: "This will call attention to the college's new unit in computer sciences and technology." Some among the 551-member class are miffed. "I don't like the idea," says Kimberly Roy, the student-government president. "It is not a human being like we are. We deserve more."

Robot Redford, remotely controlled and made of fiber glass and aluminum, will march in the academic procession, but will not be dressed in gown and mortarboard. "We don't want to hoke it up," says Sara Gilbert, a spokesman for the college. The address will be delivered from the wings to the robot's speaker by its creator Bill Bakaleinikoff. Says he of his creation: "As soon as Robot gets ten minutes into his speech, they'll forget that he's a robot. Afterward they'll probably take him to the local malt shop and buy him new batteries." - This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.