Auto Automaton

An Auto Automaton was a perfect robotic replica of a Mobian, originally created by Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Auto Automatons were designed to infiltrate various Freedom Fighter groups and gather information. The first functioning Auto Automaton model was based off Sally Acorn and was used to deceive Royal Underground member Geoffrey St. John. The Auto Automaton of Sally was discovered to be a robot however and destroyed with help from Sally's Trainees. The factory which was mass producing Auto Automatons was also destroyed. (PSM: #1, #2, #3)

Another of the few surviving Auto Automatons, based off of Fiona Fox, was used to deceive Tails during one of his early solo adventures. Tails fell in love with the replica Fiona, and was heart broken when he discovered it to be a robot. However, Tails still wouldn't fight the Auto Automaton, and only survived because they fell into the water where the robot rusted. Tails left the robot on the island, and never saw the robot shed tears at Tails leaving after Robotnik. (StH: #28, #29)

While the Freedom Fighters left Knothole to obtain the Sword of Acorns, which had been obtained by Knuckles the Echidna, King Max was captured and replaced with an Auto Automaton of himself, which deceived everyone until Robotnik exposed it to be a fake after invading Knothole. (StH: #47, #48, #49, SSS: #1)

When Mighty the Armadillo, Nic the Weasel and the real Fiona Fox returned to one of Robotnik's forced labour camps (where Mighty, Fiona and Ray the Squirrel had been held captive as children), they found old, unused Auto Automatons based on the Freedom Fighters. (KtE: #29)

Years later, Dr. Eggman created similar robots, instead calling them Infiltrators. An Auto Automaton/Infiltrator of Tommy Turtle was created and nearly killed Sonic after badly damaging Sonic's father. After this Auto Automaton's destruction, Sonic and the Freedom Fighters went to New Megaopolis where they found thousands of Auto Automatons being mass produced. The factory was subsequently destroyed and the real Tommy was rescued. (StH: #135, #136, #137)

Some time later, Eggman tried again, this time using Renfield T. Rodent's Casinopolis in Station Square. The casino had scanners in slot machines that would copy individual data, which would then be used to make infiltrators to replace the originals. The Chaotix were chosen by the President to investigate as they'd had previous experience with Renfield. Renfield managed to use an Infiltrator copy of a Mobian horse to capture Knuckles, and ensnared Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Rouge the Bat with a scanner disguised as a slot machine. Despite being discovered, Renfield gloated that the amount of data already collected would let him build a small army. However, Julie-Su unplugged the computer, destroying the transfered data and preventing it from being used, and Mighty the Armadillo destroyed the factory, saying no one could use an army of robots that hadn't been created yet. Renfield was subsequently arrested and tried in Station Square courts. (StH: #166)