Professor Gerald Robotnik (プロフェッサー・ジェラルド・ロボトニック Professā Jerarudo Robotonikku) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He was a human scientist and the grandfather of Maria Robotnik and Dr. Eggman. A world-renowned scientist who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest scientific minds of all time, Gerald was responsible for several groundbreaking creations, including his greatest achievement, Shadow the Hedgehog, making him a modern day scientific Da Vinci. Over fifty years ago, Gerald was asked by the President of the United Federation to lead Project Shadow, a medical program for inventing immortality, which he accepted in hopes of finding a cure for a fatal illness afflicting Maria. Eventually, Gerald managed to create Shadow the Hedgehog, though not without drastic measures; he was taken into custody by the military when his work was deemed too dangerous. When learning that Maria had been killed by the military, Gerald slipped into madness and spent his last days plotting revenge against humanity.