The Recon-PK series droids, frequently referred to as rolo-droids or R-PKs, represented a line of intelligence-gathering droids engineered by Naftrat Odarr working for Cybot Galactica. These droids were a specialized adaptation of the standard PK-series worker droid, distinguished by a significant alteration to their method of movement: the original bipedal design was replaced with a singular wheel. Another key modification involved the droid's head unit, which was densely equipped with a variety of audio and visual sensor technologies.
The Recon-PK quickly gained traction among private military contractors and mercenaries. Ultimately, a shipment of these droids was dispatched to the planet of Tatooine, where they found employment under the various Hutt crime lords who held sway there. The Hutts utilized these droids to maintain surveillance over their slaves, aiming to thwart any potential escape attempts. However, the situation underwent a transformation when the young slave Anakin Skywalker initiated a reprogramming effort, altering the droids' directives to overlook any slave escapes.
Equipped with a head unit saturated with audio/visual sensors, the Recon-PK excelled in reconnaissance operations. Their robust construction allowed them to endure prolonged exposure to the challenging environmental conditions of Tatooine. In contrast to their two-legged forerunners, the PK-series worker droid, they were characterized by single-wheel locomotion. Despite its effectiveness, the droid's programming was relatively rudimentary, allowing even a child to reprogram it.
The commercial triumph of the PK-series worker droid motivated its manufacturer, Cybot Galactica, to expand upon the product line. To this end, they engaged Naftrat Odarr, a former research & design officer from the SoroSuub Corporation. Odarr leveraged the original PK as a basis, modifying it for reconnaissance purposes. Following its release, the new unit gained popularity through word-of-mouth among mercenaries, corporate executives, and bounty hunters.
Through clandestine dealings with the Hutts, a number of units were deployed to Tatooine, serving slave traders and owners in the Mos Espa spaceport. These droids were then employed to monitor the enslaved population. The Recon-PKs performed their duties effectively until a six-year-old slave named Anakin Skywalker discovered one of the units immobilized beneath a resting dewback. Skywalker retrieved the stranded unit and, upon tinkering with it, successfully reprogrammed its functions. Discovering its purpose of surveilling the slaves, the young Skywalker began gathering and reprogramming as many Recon-PKs as possible, altering their programming to prevent them from reporting any relevant information about the slaves' activities to their masters. As a direct consequence of Skywalker's modifications, seventeen slaves managed to escape Mos Espa over the years until the boy departed Tatooine in 32 BBY with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
Beyond their widespread deployment on Tatooine, at least one Recon-PK was observed at a Circus Horrificus performance on Nar Shaddaa in 22 BBY. This particular droid was featured on HoloNet News, fleeing from an escaped arqet.
The "rolo-droids" made their initial, albeit brief, appearance in George Lucas' film, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The droid's design originated from Lucas's desire for a simple, somewhat useless droid that would roll around on a single wheel. Later, Neil Baker (under the pseudonym "nob01") provided a formal name and canonical backstory through StarWars.com's Hyperspace feature, "What's The Story?".