There is a room in Wu's house to restore his robot children (SHI GANG)

Wu's priorities have changed, too. "I have to deal with life pressures, for I am not a teenager anymore. I have to raise my family," he said.

He sold Super Wu No.5, upgraded from the chore assistant Wu No.5, for 30,000 yuan (about $4,000) to get out of debt. "Super Wu No.5 had two bionic hands that were able to serve tea, write and even play the erhu (a two-stringed fiddle and Chinese traditional musical instrument). It took me two months to make his hands," he said proudly.

Fame broadened Wu's horizons and provided him more work opportunities. In 2007, he signed a contract with a cleaning company in east Zhejiang Province to invent a robot that could clean office building exteriors. But the weather and work pressure in Zhejiang affected Wu's health and he eventually quit.

Wu has won fame through countless media reports, but his life is as simple as before. His idea of making 12 Chinese Zodiac robots remains in draft form due to lack of money; likewise, the robot-making class Wu designed for elementary and middle school students was postponed. Frequent media interviews disturb his schedule and he slips into depression when the pressure grows. But Wu said he will continue making robots and is currently working with two companies. When his son finishes university, Wu hopes they can start a company.

Uncommon romance

"Our life is full of fear, danger, bitterness and tiredness, rather than romance," Wu's wife Dong Shuyan told Beijing Review. "All he cares about is his robots; his love for them is much more than for us."

Since Wu began making robots, the family has frequently gone into debt. Worse still, injuries have sent Wu to the hospital several times; the worst burning incident put him in the hospital for two weeks.

But Wu's love for Dong is more than he can say. He has made various items, from cradles to swivel chairs, for the children at Dong's kindergarten. The blackboard-like machine he made combines the basic Chinese alphabet on the left side and basic math on the right--attracting the children's interest and saving Dong from cleaning the blackboard.

The biggest challenge for their marriage came on June 19, 1999, when Wu's carelessness caused a fire that burned down their house and all their belongings. A despairing Dong took their two teenage sons and left home, contemplating a divorce. Wu felt guilty, promised to stop making robots and immediately borrowed 90,000 yuan (about $11,200) to rebuild the house. Dong changed her mind after Wu groveled.

"He was petulant and unhappy for the first few days. I was sad to see that he had changed into another person," Dong recalled. "His eccentricity scared me. It was obvious that it would be impossible for him to abandon robot making. So I told him he could do whatever he wanted as long as it made him happy.

"It was a relief to see him return to normal again," Dong smiled. "He even promised to make a housekeeper robot for me, which I thought was a joke."

Dong was excited and moved to tears when robot Wu No.5 washed a plate in the kitchen a few months later. "I was proud of him at that moment," she said.

"He doesn't smoke, drink or play cards; his only hobby is making robots. I used to complain that he was a workaholic--working 24 hours a day without eating or resting," Dong said. "But I am truly gratified to see his success."