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Wu Yulu, the farmer inventor
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Wu Yulu, who received no education beyond primary school, is hailed by the media as the most remarkable farmer-inventor in China. But he prefers another nickname "Robot Daddy."
Mawu Village is a quiet place in Tongzhou District in the eastern suburbs of Beijing. Here, farmer Wu Yulu is busy making assorted robots. Over the past 25 years, Wu Yulu has created more than 30 robots. Among them are the one-legged number one, biped number two, number three the wall scaler, and number four the waitress. The list goes on. Behind each of his works there is a distinctive story.
Wu Yulu said, "I was born and bred as a farmer. But I never liked farm work. Nor am I good at it. When I was young, people had to bring in the wheat crops with sickles. It's very hard work because you have to bend deeply. Once, my father asked me to harvest the wheat, and I invented a labor-saving device. It's a one-legged robot. The operator doesn't have to bend down. So it's very fast and effective."
His distaste for farm work greatly inspired Wu Yulu creativity. Actually, Wu Yulu had a knack for mechanics as a child. With wood blocks and rubber bands, he often surprised his neighbors with ingenious devices, which helped him win the love of his life.
Dong Shuyan, Wu Yulu’s wife, said, "He got a stool. The stool had four legs. Then he attached an electric motor onto the bench. On the motor, he attached a fan. When he turned on the switch, the fan began to wag to and fro. The device impressed everyone who saw it."
New ideas about mechanics have kept coming to Wu Yulu. In spite of limited resources, he contemplated the idea of designing and making a robot by himself. After four years of designing, he created his first work the number one who can walk by himself.
