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R.O.B. (short for Robotic Operating Buddy) is an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System who has recently made appearances in a few Mario games. In Japan, he is known as the Famicom Robot, which is short for Family Computer Robot. R.O.B. functions by translating flashes of information on the television screen into physical actions (using technology similar to the Zapper Gun). R.O.B. was first used for the game Gyromite.

Players could control R.O.B. with the control pad to make him raise and lower gyroscopes. To make the gyroscope spin, the player must set the object in the gyroscope spinner and then balance it on one of the two round trays that are connected to controller two. Placing a gyro on the red tray lowers the red GATES; placing a gyro on the blue tray lowers the blue GATES.

R.O.B. is also the last unlockable character in Mario Kart DS. To unlock R.O.B., players have to win either all Mirror Nitro or Retro Cups, it doesn't matter which order you complete the cups in. In the game, he is one of the heaviest characters, his weight matched only by Bowser. R.O.B's symbol is a purple NES D-Pad. R.O.B. has two original karts, which are the ROB-BLS and the ROB-LGS. His karts are fast, heavy, and have good handling, which is uncharacteristic of a heavy character.

R.O.B. doesn't return in subsequent games, probably as he is now in the Super Smash Bros. series starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Characteristics[]

R.O.B. is given a near-identical look to his real-world counterpart. He stands on a flat hexagonal base, and his main body is a rail upon which his arms can move up and down. Noticeably, he lacks the coiled cord that connects his arm piece to his base, and has also been given red "eyes" in his promotional art and in-game.

Vehicle gallery[]

Staff Ghost Tracks[]

Course Time Player Character Kart
Desert Hills 1:31:262 Ninten★かつ R.O.B. MKDS record icon R.O.B. ROB-LGS icon ROB-LGS
Rainbow Road 2:16:246 Ninten★たえこ R.O.B. MKDS record icon R.O.B. ROB-BLS icon ROB-BLS

Official description[]

  • Default Karts: Standard RB, ROB-BLS
  • Unlockable Kart: ROB-LGS
  • Website Bio (Europe): "Robotic Operating Buddy, to give R.O.B. his full name, has come out of retirement to take up a new career as a Mario Kart driver - and a strong one at that. But you'll be lucky if you catch sight of him, as he's notoriously elusive..."

Trivia![]

Robo

The MKDS T-shirt showing R.O.B.'s name as ROBO.

  • R.O.B. appears to steer his kart by pointing his two arms in the direction the player is pressing on the + Control Pad instead of turning the steering wheel, meaning he connects to the kart.
  • R.O.B. is the first non-Mario character to appear in the main Mario Kart games. However, the first non-Mario character to appear in the entire series is Pac-Man.
  • In the Japanese and Korean versions of Mario Kart DS, HVC-012, the original Famicom robot, takes R.O.B.'s place. HVC-012 has brown arms instead of gray.
  • For unknown reasons on the Mario Kart DS T-shirt, R.O.B. is referred to as ROBO without the abbreviations too.
  • R.O.B. is the first Mario Kart character who is an accessory.
  • In his character and kart selection animation, R.O.B.'s entire spinal rail rotates a full 360 degrees; this action is never possible with the physical object. R.O.B. was able to only rotate his arm piece up to 180 degrees, and raise and lower it on the static spine rail.

Gallery[]

Artworks[]

Models[]

Screenshots[]

Mario Kart DS racers
Light ToadPeachYoshiDry BonesShy Guy+
Medium MarioLuigiDaisyWaluigi
Heavy WarioDonkey KongBowserR.O.B.
+ - denotes to Download Play.
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