Meet Baton Rouge’s most interesting “resident.”
You may have spotted the fully functional R2-D2 replica at LSU football tailgates and arts festivals around town.
The robot is the creation of artist Barton Gilley. While discussing tailgate ideas back in 2010, he and a friend had an idea: R2-D2, serving beer.
The idea of a drink-dispensing robot was the perfect excuse to build the replica, he says, adding that interactive art is always more fun.
“I wouldn’t have had a reason to build it if it didn’t perform a function people would enjoy,” he says. “It would be a neat prop, but I think people would lose interest. It’s also the perfect size to hold a beer keg, so that just made sense.”
During the 2010 football season, the replica was just a Weber grill dome attached to a keg. Gilley continued to build on it, but the purple-and-gold R2-D2 had several mechanical issues.
Gilley decided to build a new one in 2011. The new model was more durable, made out of hard plastics, fiberglass and other materials. It debuted at the Baton Rouge Mini Maker Faire that fall.
Since then, the blinking, beeping, mobile R2-D2 has garnered a lot of attention in the Capital City and surrounding regions. Gilley and his replica have made appearances at LSU tailgates, the Baton Rouge and New Orleans Mini Maker Faires, the 2015 Tin Roof tailgate party, the 2015 Pop! Smart Show at The Varsity and more.
The hands-free drink dispenser has become a favorite tailgating accessory, Gilley says. How it works is simple: Hold your cup up to the dispenser. A sensor will detect the cup and open the faucet.
The replica will soon be entirely remote-controlled and completely mobile, he says.
Gilley, a 2008 fine arts graduate from LSU, has always had an affinity for robotics and Star Wars.
“When I was a kid, I would take apart any electronic toy I had,” he says. “I would fix things that were broken and break things that weren’t broken.”
As he grew older, Gilley taught himself about motors, mechanisms, wiring and electronics. He developed a fascination with animatronics and never skipped a “behind the scenes” or “the making of” feature on television.
He’s created robotic pieces similar to the R2-D2 keg, but this is his most complex, he says.
Now that he’s made silicone and fiberglass molds of the R2-D2 replica, he’s working on more with different color schemes for retail purposes.
The replica has been a learning experience and a personal challenge to improve his skill level, Gilley says.
“After building this thing, I feel confident I can build anything,” he says.
