J. McCord and His Crew of Computers

Joseph McCord is having a good time flitting about the country and Orange County with his mechanical, computerized buddies, Newton, Hector, Peter and ProBot.

“How many people do you know that get paid for having fun,” asked the retired Army lieutenant colonel in his Costa Mesa office. “I’m having a ball.”

His buddies are computerized robots that entertain at conventions and trade shows, and also at Orange County store openings and parties for kids and adults.

“If someone told me I would someday build robots for a living, I’d say he was crazy,” commented McCord, 56, who opened an advertising agency after 28 years in the Army.

His final task was at the Pentagon producing recruiting material for the Army. “That gave me a good background to open an advertising agency,” he said.

McCord’s life with robots started with a client’s request for a television commercial using one of the mechanized critters.

“I didn’t have the slightest idea how to find a robot, so I looked in the Yellow Pages and found a man who happened to have two of them,” said McCord, a UC Berkeley graduate with a degree in history.

“After I saw the robots, it was love at first sight,” he said.

As a matter of fact, McCord became so fascinated with the fiberglass robots that he accepted an offer to take one of the two to a trade show where he entertained as master of ceremonies.

After another all-expense-paid trip with the robot to a trade show “where I only worked four hours a day and stayed in a beautiful suite, I told myself that I was in the wrong business.”

McCord eventually opened a robot-making business called The Robot Co.

In fact, now the Newport Beach resident is looking for venture capital to help develop a robot-franchise system and “to get robots in communities all over the United States.”

Until that time, McCord said he and the robots will continue entertaining at trade shows and at parties at $135 an hour.

“I’ve developed a whole technique for birthday parties to do away with any fears or inhibitions that kids sometimes get from the robots,” McCord said.

Before performing at a party, he explained, he compiles information about the guest of honor and others who will attend, and this is transmitted through the robot’s built-in speaking system.

The robots are also programmed to play different games such as Robot Says, similar to the traditional Simon Says.

Newton, the smallest of the four robots, can be programmed to make coffee, teach mathematics, work as an alarm clock or serve as a watchdog in a home or office by detecting motion.

A robot such as Newton costs about $8,000. Larger machines cost $25,000.

“I have an enormous amount of fun and people pay me to do it,” said McCord.