The hot, sultry weather doesn’t seem to faze the crowd as they wait to see what’s inside the small art studio in Kansas City. It’s First Friday at the Crossroads district in Kansas City, a time when art galleries and studios open their doors to showcase local and national artists. Inside this studio, standing on white column pedestals, are “Vault,” “Western” and a dozen other Nerdbots waiting for adoption. Nerdbots are essentially robot-looking creations made from recycled metal parts and equipment, created by Angela and Nicholas Snyder.

Angela, 27, is a graphic designer from Troy, Kan. Her husband, Nicholas, also 27, is a native of Kansas City and works in sales. And the Nerdbots are their hobby turned part-time business born from the mutual love of robots.

“Some people are cat people, some people are dog people. We are robot people,” Angela explains. “We have always identified with the nerdy factor of them.”

The couple met at Northwest Missouri State University. Angela was an advertising major and art minor. Nicholas studied business management. After getting involved with the Art Incubator in Kansas City, they were able to take the Nerdbot idea and turn it into a business. The nonprofit organization provided access to a studio, welding and soldering equipment, along with business help.

Their first Nerdbot was Leotron. He’s about 2 feet tall with a Polaroid camera head and radio body. On a personal level, he has always been rather partial to lists, spreadsheets, diagrams and charts. Leotron’s favorite possession is his calculator, which he is proud to say he can run even with his eyes closed. He’s also an avid comic book collector and drinks Starbucks lattes in order to stay awake during his late-night science experiment marathons — or so the sign says on his pedestal.

“We write a bio for each one,” Angela says. “We make sure each one is very quirky and nerdy.”

Although Leotron is not for sale (or adoption as the couple prefer to call it), the others are sold on the couple’s Web site and at art shows at prices averaging $170 to $200. Sales are going well, so now almost all of their free time is spent shopping for parts, building or getting ready for the shows.

“We are always looking,” Angela says. “Sometimes we’ll find a great head or great body, but sometimes you have to keep looking to find the right arms or legs to fit it.”

And sometimes they just come together, as with the Nerdbot “Western,” Nicholas says. They started with a skirt (from an old fan) they found in a junk yard, but didn’t have to look for anything else, he says.

“We had the head for months.”

Get more information on the Nerdbots or to sign up for Nerd Alerts, visit nerdbots.net.

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson may be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com