Made in HK: Canbot

Designer and founder of Canbot.com Orson has built quite a following with his Canbots. Born in Hong Kong and educated in the US, Orson has been making various origami sculptures for more than 20 years. Being an avid toy collector, Orson was inspired to combine the art of origami with recyling and the original Canbot was born out of this idea. Each Canbot toy is only 3.5cm tall and handmade by Orson himself. If you take a look at his website, he’s cultivated a following around the world. And if you look carefully, you can see that there’s a picture of Treeson with Canbot!

Says Orson, “The Canbot (Robot), Panda Alu (Panda) and Canrex (dinosaur), combine the concept of origami and sculpture to create a figure that is built entirely using origami skills (no screw and glue involved) to create a 3-D object based on the shape of a triangular prism using old soda cans that are made from aluminium. Blending the graphics and colors of each soda can create unlimited versions of Canbot, Panda Alu and Canrex. I hope, through the Canbot, Panda Alu or Canrex will remind people that the power of creativity could transform a valueless soda can into a valuable sculpture.”

Fun facts

1. The name of CANBOT carries 2 meanings; the first "CAN" means it is made from a soda can, and the second "CAN", means with the power of creativity and determination, you and I "Can" do anything!

2. The 3 figures I designed symbolize the different stage of human civilization. The Canrex, T-Rex Dinosaur, is a symbol of our history and extinct species; Panda Alu, Panda, is a symbol of our present time and the endanger species; Canbot, the Robot figure, is a symbol of the future and our technology. If we want to preserve our history and invest in our future, we need to participate in all kinds of eco activities starting from the easiest part, which is recycling. Also, by joining our small actions together, we can make a better world.

3. The idea and design of canbot began in 2006. Canbot.com has been officially launched in February 2009. The sales of canbot mainly base on the website eshop and some of the special edition canbots are selling on Etsy.com. Canbot.com is based in Hong Kong and has trademark registered in Hong Kong as well. Our clients mostly base in USA, UK and Japan.

4. The best selling pieces are Canbot and Canrex.

Visit Canbot at http://www,canbot.com or http://sage12888.etsy.com