Hubert Zitt, a professor from a distant land (Germany) who teaches at The Zweibrücken University of Applied Sciences is known for lecturing on seemingly unusual topics such as Star Wars and Star Trek. Professor Hubert, with the help of his squad, if we may say so, has now converted the Zweibrück Observatory of the Natural Science Association into the friendly robot that some of us might know of. Oh yes! R2-D2! The clumsy yet cute little being who whirs around planets and space ships.
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
This project was completed in September 2018 by Professor Hubert. He was offered plenty of help from his students, his father-in-law Horst Helle, and Klaus Ruffing, the chief painter.
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
The project has obviously garnered a lot of interest from fans of the Star Wars franchise from all around the world. Mark Hamill, one of the actors in the Star Wars movies, happens to be the most prominent admirer of the giant robot building. He, in fact, tweeted about the R2-D2, saying it changed Germans into Giant Nerds.
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
Interestingly enough, Professor Hubert and the team are not exactly the only fans of the franchise to have undertaken such a design challenge. Goodsell Observatory of Carleton College from the State Minnesota undertook another similar project in 2010 transforming their observatory into an R2-D2.
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
Image credits: boebelix
Professor Dr. Hubert Zitt is more famously known for the Star Trek and Star Wars nerd-ism now. But it is certainly remarkable to come across the fact that he began by studying electrotechnology. He has earned his Ph.D. in the area of study of systems theory of electro-technology from Saarland University. The University of Applied Sciences in Kaiserslautern, Zweibrücken is where he is a tenured faculty member now. In his free time, he is busy propagating his favorite science-fiction trivia and pop culture.
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
Image credits: thomas_beutler
Professor Hubert has attained the position as the Global Top Presenter on Star Trek. He first conducted a Star Trek lecture dubbed as “Christmas Lecture” that individuals just could not have enough of. From 2005, he took a leap and started conducting his lectures at conventions like FedCon, which happens to be the largest convention of Science Fiction in Europe as well as in many other universities.
Image credits: _raeubermami_mal_zwei
Image credits: cpt.maggi
Professor Hubert amassed a lot of due recognition in 2008 when he authored the foreword of the literary piece, ‘Star Trek in Germany’, partnering with the child of Gene Roddenberry, the inventor of Star Trek. Also, in the year of 2008, Professor Hubert took up the post of a permanent lecturer at the University of the Incarnate Word situated in the city of San Antonio, Texas. There, he imparts knowledge on ‘The Physics of Star Trek’.
Image credits: Hochschule Kaiserslautern
Image credits: l_to_the_aser
The R2-D2 is certainly distinctive in its presence, guarding this area of the university. But realizing how much of a fanatic Professor Hubert is, perhaps C-3PO might also share the shape with R2-D2 in the coming years. What do you think?