History Main / RoboticTortureDevice

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]
* As one can imagine, this shows up in a lot of {{Hentai}}, especially of the Naughty Tentacles variety.

{{Evil Empire}}s can't just [[SlouchOfVillainy slouch around]] on a [[OrcusOnHisThrone throne]] all day, they have InnocentBystanders to oppress and {{Doomed Hometown}}s to [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed raze!]] So not every EvilOverlord can take the time out of their busy schedule to personally interrogate a captive (which, let's face it, is the only [[TortureAlwaysWorks surefire way to get them to break).]] So instead they will delegate the use ColdBloodedTorture... to something without the blood. The Robotic Torture Device [[DeathTrap is a torture device]] with various bits of torture equipment, including but not limited to: knives, poison filled syringes, blades, [[ElectricTorture electric shock prods]], {{Agony Beam}}s, or worst of all, ''[[TickleTorture feathers]].''

[[http://www.christrevas.com/starwars/egf_15torture.html http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/StarWarsTortureBot_1906.jpg]]
[[caption-width:259:[[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken "Good God man, I'm a doctor not a savage! This is a flu shot! Good day sir!"]]]]

* In Richard Morgan's ''Broken Angels'' (the sequel to ''AlteredCarbon'') one character is subjected to the Wedge punishment for traitors; a machine designed to slowly torture them to death over the course of an entire day. While the machine is busy flaying skin, breaking bones and cracking teeth for the enjoyment of the watching crowd, it's also carefully administering drugs and medical attention to ensure that the subject is alive and conscious for as much of the ordeal as possible.
** Appetizingly named "the anatomizer" because of course it renders you into anatomy.

* Shows up in a lot of {{Hentai}}, especially of the NaughtyTentacles variety.

* The [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/IT-O_Interrogator IT-O interrogation device]] they used offscreen on Princess Leia in ''StarWars''. Thankfully, BeautyIsNeverTarnished. And in fact, in the {{novelization}} and the radio play, we see that Vader sent the droid away and instead performed a rather disturbing MindProbe.

** The torture device Darth Vader used on Han Solo in ''TheEmpireStrikesBack''. Watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REHP0LUSARk here, 8:20-8:40]].

* ''ElfQuest'' has a simple but very nasty device, designed by Two-Edge for the human warlord Grohmul Djun. The victim is strapped between two large metal urns in the shape of birds, which are slowly filled with water through their upturned beaks. They are pivoted in such a way that as the weight of water increases they begin to pivot outward, placing increasing pressure on the victim's limbs. If the victim doesn't surrender they're torn limb from limb.

* Shows up in a lot of {{Hentai}}, especially of the NaughtyTentacles variety.

[[caption-width:259:[[RobotChicken "Good God man, I'm a doctor not a savage! This is a flu shot! Good day sir!"]]]]

--> I have said that the room in which M. le Vicomte de Chagny and I were imprisoned was a regular hexagon, lined entirely with mirrors. Plenty of these rooms have been seen since, mainly at exhibitions: they are called "palaces of illusion," or some such name. But the invention belongs entirely to Erik, who built the first room of this kind under my eyes, at the time of the rosy hours of Mazenderan. A decorative object, such as a column, for instance, was placed in one of the corners and immediately produced a hall of a thousand columns; for, thanks to the mirrors, the real room was multiplied by six hexagonal rooms, each of which, in its turn, was multiplied indefinitely. But the little sultana soon tired of this infantile illusion, whereupon Erik altered his invention into a "torture-chamber." For the architectural motive placed in one corner, he substituted an iron tree. This tree, with its painted leaves, was absolutely true to life and was made of iron so as to resist all the attacks of the "patient" who was locked into the torture-chamber. We shall see how the scene thus obtained was twice altered instantaneously into two successive other scenes, by means of the automatic rotation of the drums or rollers in the corners. These were divided into three sections, fitting into the angles of the mirrors and each supporting a decorative scheme that came into sight as the roller revolved upon its axis. The walls of this strange room gave the patient nothing to lay hold of, because, apart from the solid decorative object, they were simply furnished with mirrors, thick enough to withstand any onslaught of the victim, who was flung into the chamber empty-handed and barefoot. There was no furniture. The ceiling was capable of being lit up. An ingenious system of electric heating, which has since been imitated, allowed the temperature of the walls and room to be increased at will. I am giving all these details of a perfectly natural invention, producing, with a few painted branches, the supernatural illusion of an equatorial forest blazing under the tropical sun, so that no one may doubt the present balance of my brain or feel entitled to say that I am mad or lying or that I take him for a fool.

* In the ''{{Firefly}}'' episode "War Stories," Niska has some sort of robotic spider thing that buries itself in Mal's skin. Of course, Niska is not opposed to using his hands and other instruments as well.

* In ''[[{{Timesplitters}} Timesplitters: Future Perfect]]'' the player could kill a bunch of restrained mutants with one of these. This gets you a WhatTheHellPlayer comment from [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection Anya]].
* The hilariously inventive torture machine from the original Dungeon Keeper. In it's dormant state it consisted of a pedestal backed by a hooded and cowled automaton; when active the automaton inflicted a different torture on almost every one of the different unit classes, including: whipping the kinky Dark Mistresses, rib-tickling giants and barbarians, spinning fairy folk around by their wings, strangling archers with their bows, transforming wizards into frogs and back again, and attacking armoured paladins with can openers.

* Played for laughs in ''{{Futurama}}'' with the Probulator who is implied to be a robot.

Depending on how you want to look at it, it either makes the torture more or less dehumanizing by having a cold and unfeeling robot administer it. At least, we ''[[AIIsACrapshoot hope]]'' it's [[TheStoic cold and unfeeling]], because otherwise [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters it could get]] [[AndIMustScream much,]] ''[[AFateWorseThanDeath much]]'' [[ItGotWorse worse.]]

* GeneWolfe's ''BookOfTheNewSun'' mentions several of these in its scenes regarding the local Torturers' Guild. Two are described in detail: Allowin's Necklace is a mechanical garrote tightened by the tidal motion of its victim's breathing (a victim breathing shallowly can last for hours), while the Revolutionary painfully awakens an unconscious urge toward self-destruction. These urges can be overridden consciously, but in unguarded moments its victims revert to scratching at their own skin or trying to claw out their eyes; they weaken as the victim does, however, and strong-willed individuals can take months to die.

* The [[TickleTorture ticklebot]] from ''XiaolinShowdown.''

* The Machine in ''ThePrincessBride.'' Made all the more horrifying with the eleven fingered man politely asking for Westley to describe the sensation ForScience.

[[caption-width:259:"Good God man, I'm a doctor not a savage! This is a flu shot! Good day sir!"]]

*** ... while screaming presumably in pain. also according to bender it "knows how to please a man"

{{Evil Empire}}s can't just [[SlouchOfVillainy slouch around]] on a [[OrcusOnHisThrone throne]] all day, they have InnocentBystanders to oppress and {{Doomed Hometown}}s to [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed raze!]] So not every EvilOverlord can take the time out of their busy schedule to personally interrogate a captive (which, lets face it, is the only [[TortureAlwaysWorks surefire way to get them to break).]] So instead they will delegate the use ColdBloodedTorture... to something without the blood. The Robotic Torture Device [[DeathTrap is a torture device]] with various bits of torture equipment, including but not limited to: knives, poison filled syringes, blades, [[ElectricTorture electric shock prods]], {{Agony Beam}}s or worst of all, ''[[TickleTorture feathers]].''

* GeneWolfe's ''BookOfTheNewSun'' mentions several of these in its scenes regarding the local Torturers' Guild. Two are described in detail: Allowin's Necklace is a mechanical garrote tightened by the tidal motion of its victim's breathing (a victim breathing shallowly can last hours), while the Revolutionary painfully awakens an unconscious urge toward self-destruction. These urges can be overridden consciously, but in unguarded moments its victims revert to scratching at their own skin or trying to claw out their eyes; they weaken as the victim does, however, and strong-willed individuals can take months to die.

[[caption-width:259:The IT-O's greatest tool is its reputation.]]

* The [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/IT-O_Interrogator IT-O interrogation device]] they used offscreen on Princess Leia in ''StarWars''. Thankfully, BeautyIsNeverTarnished.

{{Evil Empire}}s can't just [[SlouchOfVillainy slouch around]] on a [[OrcusOnHisThrone throne]] all day, they have InnocentBystanders to oppress and {{Doomed Hometown}}s to [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed raze!]] So not every EvilOverlord can take the time out of their busy schedule to personally interrogate a captive (which, lets face it, is the only surefire way to get them to break). So instead they will delegate the use ColdBloodedTorture... to something without the blood. The Robotic Torture Device [[DeathTrap is a torture device]] with various bits of torture equipment, including but not limited to: knives, poison filled syringes, blades, [[ElectricTorture electric shock prods]], {{Agony Beam}}s or worst of all, ''[[TickleTorture feathers]].''

[[caption-width:259:[[ANewHope Princess Leia]] [[CowerPower cowers in fear]] of the Imperial Stylist Droid!]]