Some days he refuses to work, and other days he can do acrobatics, like the ones he did recently, which won the New Zealand Robocup finals in Auckland.
He is perhaps best known by his creator, Bayfield High School computer programmer Braden Smitheram (15), who says he is misunderstood.
''He isn't pretty. In fact, he's a pretty complicated character.
''He has character quirks.
''When he goes over a bridge, he does a 360deg spin. I don't know why.
''It might have something to do with the light sensors - he does funny things now and then.
''All I know is it wasn't something I programmed him to do.''
Stanley and Braden won the premier rescue category at the New Zealand Robocup final last weekend - an event touted as ''artificial intelligence at its best''.
The rescue competition mirrors the real life use of robots that rescue people from life-threatening situations.
Robots like Stanley use colour or light sensors to follow a line to a designated rescue area, always looking for the shortcuts and coping with ramps and judder bars.
When Stanley arrives at a green coloured area, indicating a chemical spill, he rescues ''the victim'' by picking him up and placing him on a low platform near the edge of the rescue zone.
That is, when Stanley is working.
Braden said the robot would occasionally refuse to work, as it did at the Otago Robocup earlier this year.
''Luckily I didn't have to win it to compete in the nationals.
''But I was annoyed when he wouldn't work, because I spent so much time and effort getting him ready.''
Braden said he had been working on Stanley since the beginning of the year, and it was one of the reasons why he was so pleased the robot out-performed all the other robots at the national final.
''All the stress and work involved in getting to nationals, it's just a big relief it's paid off.''
It was not the first time Braden had built a prize-winning robot.
In 2008, he was a member of a team which won the junior rescue category of the Otago Robocup, and last year he won the senior rescue category of the Otago Robocup.
Braden was not the only Otago pupil to have success in the recent national final.
King's High School pupil Philip Anderson (15) was third in the Senior Soccer category.
