Eyebot

The eyebot is a hovering propaganda-spewing robot, similar to the floating eye bot, but with whip-like radio antennas resembling long "whiskers" pointing to its back, and loudspeakers in the front. After the Great War, it was used by Enclave forces in the Capital Wasteland by 2277.

Uses by the Enclave
Eyebots are used by the Enclave on the East Coast for broadcasting Enclave Radio, which consists of propaganda, presidential speeches, and patriotic marching music for the people of the Capital Wasteland. These propaganda broadcasts, delivered both over in-game radios, the Pip-Boy 3000, or via the robot's loudspeaker, mention that the American Government is watching, and will eventually rise to restore the former glory of the United States. If Raven Rock is destroyed, the robots will broadcast static.

Eyebots are armed with a weak laser called a Zapper, but are neutral to the player and other civilians (i.e. wastelanders). They will attack enemies like raiders and giant ants. The Brotherhood Outcasts also have a mutual animus with the eyebots (due to faction dispositions), and the Brotherhood of Steel presumably do as well (you will never see this, though, as the two do not share a sphere of influence). The eyebot has little health and explodes when destroyed, causing damage to anything close, including the player. Combined with their low experience reward and no loot (except in rare cases, and even then it's only one piece of Scrap metal), making the effort to destroy an eyebot is entirely wasteful. It appears that even though common sense might lead one to believe they are allied with the robotic enemies, rogue Protectrons and Robobrains have been observed destroying them. Despite being initially friendly, eyebots will attack anyone (including the player) they see fighting against the Enclave.

Random explosions frequently heard in the distance while roaming the wasteland can mostly be attributed to an eyebot self-destructing from damage.

Combat Statistics
Eyebots are hardly strong opponents, and the fact that they are (initially) friendly and will attack enemies that engage the player or other wastelanders means that they are more beneficial than anything else. However, once the player finishes The Waters of Life (or provokes them), they can pose a threat, especially in the former case where they will turn hostile if Enclave patrols are under attack.

The eyebot is armed with a Zapper, roughly equal in strength to an AEP7 laser pistol. It is frighteningly accurate with this weapon, and will rarely miss, even over considerable distances. While not a very damaging opponent, the eyebot's mobility, small size and high accuracy can make it a threat, especially if encountered in packs (as some Enclave Field Bases make use of them). Fortunately, they are not very durable and easily destroyed, even with fists; they're the most fragile robot in the game.

Explosive Capability and Possible Looting
A note for those trying to destroy an eyebot early on (such as the one in Springvale) - eyebots explode when killed, causing damage to anything close by. Though high-level characters have little to fear, this explosion can be very dangerous for characters just starting off. Because eyebots are worth a paltry amount of experience anyway, it's generally a better idea to ignore the little things entirely unless they're hostile. Also, as eyebots attack most hostile creatures they can often be used as a distraction for creatures such as deathclaws and albino radscorpions (sometimes eyebots will be floating too high for radscorpions to reach) allowing you to either attack them or escape.

Because eyebots explode, they rarely leave a corpse. They will leave a corpse if killed with a critical hit, however. One way to accomplish this is to un-equip your weapons and punch the eyebot until its health is near zero, then enter VATS and deal a few blows to it. Laser and plasma weapons will leave an ash or goo pile, respectively, if a critical hit is scored. The corpse will sometimes contain one piece of scrap metal... However, the easiest way to not destroy the eyebot and retrieve the scrap metal is to shoot at the zapper in VATS; if the finishing blow is made to the zapper (and no other body part during just the final blow), the eyebot will drop lifelessly to the floor and you can then loot the corpse for some scrap metal. Remember: making harmful contact with any other part during the final blow will cause the eyebot to detonate and damage all around it, and you will receive no reward except for minuscule experience.

Fallout: New Vegas
ED-E is an enhanced "duraframe" Eyebot that was badly damaged as it was travelling to Navarro for upgrades and was acquired by The operator of the Mojave express,(the company that actually hired the courier.) in Primm. It can join the Courier as one of his/her companions, using its modified sensors to detect enemies at long range while allowing the player to attack cloaked enemies with VATS.

There is also a variant which can be found in REPCONN Headquarters, which does not have a protective faceplate over the camera and has two lasers rather than just one.

Appearances
This robot appears in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the Scenes
In the book The Art of Fallout 3, an artist mentions that the Enclave eyebot was designed after the Sputnik-era satellites.

Eyebots are an ovious reference to the Russian Sputnik space-probe.