Spectrum #29: Order these robots by debut — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from September 12, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these robots by debut, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Unimate, the first industrial robot
- Sophia
- Atlas
- Spot goes on sale
- Roomba
- ASIMO
Unimate, the first industrial robot was already in place; ASIMO opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Unimate, the first industrial robot is the earliest of the six at 1961 and Spot goes on sale the latest at 2020. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Unimate, the first industrial robot (1961) and ASIMO (2000) — 39 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. ASIMO (2000) and Roomba (2002) are only 2 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unimate, the first industrial robot | 1961 |
| 2 | ASIMO | 2000 |
| 3 | Roomba | 2002 |
| 4 | Atlas | 2013 |
| 5 | Sophia | 2016 |
| 6 | Spot goes on sale | 2020 |
Previous: Spectrum #28 (Fri, Sep 11) · Next: Spectrum #30 (Sun, Sep 13)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.