History Main / SmartPeopleBuildRobots

* In ''ComicBook/IronMan'', Tony Stark is kidnapped while visiting Vietnam ([[Film/IronMan1 Afghanistan in the film version]]) and ordered to help develop weapons for his captors. But instead of rigging a [=MacGyver=]-style escape plan, he uses the equipment he's given to build a suit of PoweredArmor and break out. He also once built a [[HumongousMecha giant robot]] named Red Ronin to fight ComicBook/{{Godzilla|KingOfTheMonsters1977}} -- can't forget that!
** In the film version, he also has a couple of robot arms in his workspace that he built himself, who he refers to as "Dummy" and "You". It's implied that he built Dummy back when he was a kid.

* Film/IronMan, as mentioned in the Comic Books section.

* In the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]], both Franchise/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} had SuperIntelligence, and they pumped out and repaired humanoid robots quickly and constantly. Their android-making skills were toned down during the [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] and ditched in the 1986 reboot, but before the '90s were over Superman was again building robotic doppelgangers.

* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' resident supergenius Molly likes to build robots. The only one who became sentient was made out of a milking machine. The robot lion was given the brain of a UsefulNotes/{{Colecovision}}. Another two were [[SteamPunk steam-powered]] and ''[[{{Snowlems}} made of snow]]'' (they melted).

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Tezzeret, the Seeker is one of the cleverest people in the series, and has a penchant for building automota, golems, and clockwork constructs, among other things. His cards can even turn your artifacts into robots to fight for you!

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': Tails, especially in ''VideoGame/TailsAdventure'' where he's been shown to have a little robot buddy called T-Pup. T-Pup later made the jump to ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' where he became Tails's DoAnythingRobot sidekick.

* In Season 8 of ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'' KC, Connor, Alli, and Clare are part of a school team for a robotics competition [[WritingAroundTrademarks modeled]] after [[http://www.usfirst.org/ FIRST]].

[[folder:Pinball]]
* Invoked in ''Pinball/StarWarsEpisodeI''; as Anakin Skywalker, the player can obtain various rewards by building C-3PO.

* Some of {{The Smart Guy}}s of ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' have an affinity for robotics. The blue ranger [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Billy]] never built one himself but did build a flying car known as the "RADBUG", wrist communicators that allowed the team to contact Zordon, and occasionally did maintenance and repairs on Zordon's assistant Alpha 5. [[Series/PowerRangersTimeForce Trip]] has Circuit, an owl RobotBuddy that he built. [[spoiler:[[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Andrew Hartford]] built himself a {{Ridiculously Human Robot|s}} son.]] [[Series/PowerRangersSamurai Antonio]] reverse-engineered his Ranger gear by studying a RobotBuddy he was given and was often put to work by the team repairing and completing their other mecha. [[Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers Nate]] has probably built the most {{Robot Budd|y}}ies of anyone in the series, with three of them being the operating systems for the Zords, and a fourth ending up becoming a Ranger.

* Happens a few times in ''Fanfic/{{Contraptionology}}'' as the science-crazed ponyvillians start getting hostile, but Twilight Sparkle takes the cake. In a bid to achieve immortality, she constructs a liquid-metal robot body to transplant her brain into. To up the ante further, she decides to test the robot to ensure that her magic will still work, so she loads it with all her magic capability and a programmed personality based on ''Trixie, her rival who hates her''. And in case that wasn't enough goading fate, she then tells Robo-Trixie that she'll wipe her personality once the tests are done.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://discount-supervillain.tumblr.com/post/165860094012 Image]] by [[https://discount-supervillain.tumblr.com/ Discount Supervillain]]. Used with permission.]]

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', [[TheSmartGuy smart girl]] Lucca has built at least one robot before she joins the party, and the skills and knowledge necessary to repair and reprogram a robot from the distant future to be her friend and party member. This was likely a lot easier because [[spoiler: it was left there to be repaired by humans so it could be a spy for the main computer.]] Still impressive considering the era she grew up in was in a late middle-ages technology level.

* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'': Maru's ten-heart event involves her unveiling her biggest project yet, a robot helper named "[=MarILDA=]". [[spoiler: [=MarILDA=] promptly [[InstantAIJustAddWater decides she wants to determine her own life]] and [[DoAnythingRobot flies off to explore outer space]].]]

* Linkara of WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall has a side hobby of building several robots of various types, and artificial intelligence to go with them. He directly [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this during a battle with [[spoiler: Lord Vyce,]] noting that “There is something I have a special talent for: I am ''very'' good at building robots.”