radardishesobservations

RADAR DISHES
(also known as ears or spinners)

During the first season, and especially in publicity photographs taken at this time, it is apparent that the radar dishes, or at least the tall vertical dish, were made out of translucent plastic. Note how Dr. Smith's hand is visible through the lower corner of the vertical radar dish in the photograph below.

This close up from a publicity photograph clearly shows the radar dish or "sensor" holders. Note, however, that the radar is on backwards in this photograph. The vertical dish should be on the robot's left side. Note also that there is a tiny set screw just below the radar dish, in the horizontal half-moon element of the sensor holders.

I am building a first-season robot, so my robot's left spinner needs to be constructed out of clear, frosted plastic. This should be fairly simple to do.

Here are two photographs that clearly show the transparency of the robot's left ("yellow"), vertical radar dish.

It does not appear that the robot's right ("red"), horizontal radar dish is transparent, but, then, only in certain publicity photographs is the transparency of the robot's left radar dish detectable. I suspect that the transparency of the radar dish was a very short-lived feature of the robot costume. In screen grabs from the first season, the vertical radar dish looks painted rather than translucent:

Motorizing the Radar Dishes
In Lost in Space, the robot's radar dishes original spun around as genuine radar dishes are supposed to do. This marvelous and visually impressive mechanical feature remained operational for the first five episodes of the first season:

"The Reluctant Stowaway" (episode 1, original air date: 15 September 1965)
"The Derelict" (episode 2, original air date: 22 September 1965)
"Island in the Sky" (episode 3, original air date: 29 September 1965)
"There Were Giants in the Earth" (episode 4, original air date: 6 October 1965)
"The Hungry Sea" (episode 1, original air date: 13 October 1965)

By the end of "The Hungry Sea," however, the radar dishes had already stopped revolving. Still, these were among the three continuous and synchronous mechanical operations emblematic of the early robot. The other two operations consisted of the spinning of the crown, and the up and down motion of the light rods in the brain. Many robot builders, including myself, have elected to motorize all three elements even though this feature was so seldom seen in the three years of the show. These eye-catching mechanical operations enhance the illusion that the robot is a genuine machine.

As a bit of robot trivia, the robot's radar dishes also spun erratically in a few short takes in the first episode of the second season, "Blast Off into Space" (episode 30, original air date 14 September 1966). Perhaps the most fleeting and unexpected appearance of the spinning radar dishes was in the third-season episode "Space Creature" (episode 69, original air date: 15 November 1967). Toward the end of the episode, immediately upon rejoining the action after a commercial break, the camera opens upon the robot standing on the top deck near the elevator. As the scene opens, both of the robot's radar dishes are rapidly spinning, but, within seconds, one dish and then the other ceases its revolutions. I question whether the spinning of the dishes was effected by motors. I strongly suspect that a stage hand merely flicked them into motion with his finger and then jumped out of camera range immediately prior to the scene edit.

My radar dishes will be spun by two small micro gear motors, one set into each of the two spinner posts. These 0.21 Watt Faulhaber DC-micromotors motor have a diameter of 8 mm and a length of 16 mm. They have a 256:1 gear ratio. They can be brought down to 30 RPMs if run at 6 volts. They can be purchased from MicroMo. Catalogue number 0816P008S+08/1256:1

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