The Armatron is a toy robot which was made by TOMY and distributed by Radio Shack in the United States since 1984. It consists of a crane-like arm which picks up small objects by the user manipulating two attached joysticks. Its shape resembles industrial robots of the 1980s, though it is strictly user-controlled, with no automation built in.The arm has six degrees of freedom: wrist rotation (unlimited), vertical wrist flexing, horizontal elbow bending, shoulder horizontal rotation (unlimited), shoulder elevation, and the opening (releasing) and closing (grasping) of the two-fingered end-effector.