The Android robot was inspired by bathroom door signs.

When Google asked designer Irina Blok to create a mascot for its new mobile operating system in 2007, the brief was for something instantly recognisable. Blok has said her team looked at the universal symbols found on restroom doors and airport signage, then sketched a simple humanoid form with an antenna.

Google released the design under a permissive licence and encouraged people to remix and reuse the robot — one reason it spread so quickly.