Meet Gus & Gus Jr., the friendly robots on I-75

A version of this article was published on Dayton.com September 28, 2015.

Have you ever been driving on I-75, perhaps feeling down only to be cheered up by the two friendly robots waving at you from the roof of a building?

If so, you’re like many Daytonians who have been greeted by these two tin men. But what do we know about these guys other than their ability to make highway drivers smile? I decided it was time to find out a little more about our shiny, robot friends.

The robots’ home is the roof of Gaines Mechanical – a company that helps companies with their heating and air conditioning system needs (including designing and fabricating sheet metal duct work). So it makes sense that they would have the raw materials necessary for creating robots made of duct work.

In fact, the first robot, Gus, who is the smaller of the two, was designed and built in the late 1980s out of scrap ductwork leftover from their jobs around Dayton.

Gus was the shiny beacon that brought people in from the street at their former location of Salem Avenue in the late 1980s and early 90s. In the Salem Avenue location, they had floor-to-ceiling windows at the street level and Gus was there to welcome people with a friendly wave. The owner, Tommy Gaines, had an idea that people would respond to Gus but wasn’t prepared for the level of community Gus would inspire.

Tommy’s son, Bruce, who is now the owner of Gaines Mechanical, said that people really loved seeing Gus in the window on their way down Salem Avenue. The original intention Gaines had in building Gus was mainly to be used in their logo, and even though they decided to use another image instead, Gus remains a fun mascot.

When the business moved to its current location, Gus was moved to the roof to wave at the travelers on I-75 and in 2008, they decided to build another, larger robot out of fresh parts. Appropriately, it was named Gus Jr.

The response from the community is still surprising to Gaines but they seem to enjoy the attention these robots bring to their business. They’ve had requests to build smaller replicas of Gus and Gus Jr., they even had a woman dressed as Dorothy request to take a photo on the roof with one of the “tin men.” They’ve also been asked to put basketballs in their hands for the NCAA First Four!

Gaines plans on maintaining this robotic duo on their roof for as long as possible so the next time you see them on your drive down I-75, give them a wave.