Name Ben Skora | ||
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Arok the Robot | Real People | George Schlatter
AROK the Robot by Ben Skora, ca 1970s
Ben Skora is an American inventor residing in Palos Hills, Illinois who specializes in robotics and electro-gadget automation in homes. He often works with spare parts obtained from junk yards or discarded by others. He is best known for building Arok, a humanoid robot that was highly advanced at the time in the late 1970s. Arok is able to move in any direction at speeds up to 3 mph, lift 125 pounds and can bend 45 degrees at the waist. It is able to perform routine household tasks such as serving drinks and taking out the trash.
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On October 9, 2015, Ben's cousin Tom Skora donated Arok (the name comes from Skora's last named spelled backward minus the S) to Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.
His home includes many of his creations including a drivable motorized easy chair, a soap dispenser that is a retractable hand that comes out of the wall on demand, dressers that slide away to reveal a hallway to another room and a ski slope from the roof.
He has appeared in People, Cosmopolitan and Ripley's Believe it or Not and the Chris Smith film Home Movie (2001).
His famous home in Palos Hills was torn down on November 28, 2014.
Health
In 2013 Ben Skora, who has Alzheimer's disease, has been moved into an assisted-care center in Hickory Hills, Illinois by his family. His cousin Tom Skora has Ben's power of attourney.