Paper Soldier with Nodding Head by Peter Markey

Over at the fanstatic Cabaret Mechanical Theatre web site they are offing a free download for a nodding paper soldier designed by Peter Markey.

Here is the page for the Paper Soldier with Nodding Head by Peter Markey.

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Newstead's new random sound clockwork machine

Keith Newstead's new piece -- Automatumbrella -- finished and working well.

See more automata by Keith Newstead on his web site.

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Video from the first LEGO Festival in Greece

Images and video from the first LEGO Festival in Greece.

Visit http://web.me.com/NeXTSTORM for more projects & pictures.

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'The Science of Conversation' by Paul Spooner

Another triumph from the inimitable Paul Spooner. This automaton is known as The Science of Conversation.

See more automata by Paul Spooner on the Fourteen Balls website.

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Video of LittleDog autonomous quadruped robot

Check out this amazing autonomous four-legged robot, created at the University of Southern California.

From the USC's Computational Learning and Motor Control Lab site:

The goal of the Learning Locomotion Project was to use machine learning techniques to create autonomous control software for a robot quadruped such that it can traverse unknown rugged and complex terrains. As experimental platform, the LittleDog robot was chosen, which is about 30cm long and 20cm high, with three degrees of freedom per leg. The specifications for the project required that the robot should achieve a speed of at least 7.2 cm/s and climb over obstacles up to 10.7cm (for humans, this would correspond to obstacles of 50% body height which are traversed at slow walking speed).

Here is an full article on the robot entitled Teaching a RoboDog New Tricks.

[ Thanks Christoph!]

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A Stirling engine powered model Ferris wheel

Take a look at this gorgeous Ferris wheel model powered by a small Stirling engine. This is pretty much the ultimate desk-top conversation piece.

From the item description:

This working Stirling engine powers a rotating Ferris wheel using the same thermodynamic principles invented in 1861 by Robert Stirling to create a more efficient alternative to steam engines. Still taught today in mechanical engineering courses to show the high efficiency, quiet operation, and heat utilization of closed-cycle regenerative heat engines, Stirling engines are powered by the expansion and compression of air. Two alcohol burners heat the chambers on the Stirling engine, causing the air inside to expand and contract and push the pistons toward the chambers. This movement displaces some of the warm air, forces the vertical pistons upward, and turns the flywheels. The Stirling engine's flywheels are connected by a rubber band to four flywheels on the Ferris wheel, powering its rotation. Made in Germany, the kit's parts are made from machine tooled solid brass, stainless steel, and aluminum components on a walnut stained wood base. Ferris wheel: 9" H x 5" W x 4" D. Stirling engine: 5" H x 6" L x 4 1/4" W

Here is a link to this Stirling Engine Ferris Wheel.

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Automatumbrella: automaton-in-progress

If you haven't stopped by Keith Newstead's blog in a while, it is worth a visit. He is currently working on a piece called "Automatumbrella", which has many fascinating elements.

See more about Automatumbrella in the May, 2010 entries on Keith Newstead's blog.

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Interplanetary Gears - automaton by Patrick Bond

Here's a nice metal automaton by Patrick Bond, who has used parts from a bicycle.

You can learn more about Patrick Bond on the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre web site.

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The Shipwreck paper automatom kit

Here is another excellent paper automaton kit you can buy from cool4cats!

From the automaton kit description:

Build this fabulous model, and see the horror as the magnificent SS CARDBOARDIA sails across the ocean to meet her fate, as she ploughs into the iceberg and sinks beneath the waves. This kit has fully illustrated step-by-step instructions and is easy to build, but some care and patience is required due to small parts. The finished size is approx 10.52" long, 2.5" wide and 6.5"high.

Here's link to The Shipwreck paper automaton kit page.

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Man and Machines: Pat Metheny's Orchestrion

National Public Radio recently broadcast a segment on NPR's Weekend Edition, entitled "Man and Machines: Pat Metheny's Orchestrion"

From expert Steve Ryder:

In it Ashley Kahn interviews jazz artist Metheny, and they also pay
a respectful nod to traditional orchestrions of the past with a visit
to Popper's "Rex" orchestrion in the M.D. Guinness collection at the
Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey.

Metheny's "Orchestrion" tour has circulated Europe and some of the
U.S.A. and it hits Manhattan this weekend. In June the tour goes to
South Korea and Japan, and there are some return dates in the New York and New Jersey area in October. More can be found on http://www.patmetheny.com/

Meanwhile, the CBS Sunday Morning News TV segment on Metheny's "Orchestrion" has been rescheduled for a date to be announced.

Here's a link to Man And Machines: Pat Metheny's Orchestrion

[ Thanks Steve! ]

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Wooden planetary gears

Check out this really cool set of wooden planetary gears.

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Rolling ball sculpture shows computing principles

From the video description:

This rolling ball sculpture, called "The Emulator" was commissioned in 2007 for SUN Microsystems. It was designed to compare traditional, single-threaded microprocessors with new multi-threaded microprocessors. This video shows only one side of the sculpture. The other side has a single chain, representing the single-threaded processor.

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Del Short's chain-driven slot rotary drive

Another wonderful wood machine from the inimitable Del Short -- this one featuring a very interesting slot drive, several wooden chains with sprockets, and a chain tensioner.

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Machinarium - video game with robots & gizmos

It's not often that I get to post about video games that seem to fit the overall theme of The Automata / Automaton Blog so when one comes along it's a treat. Machinarium (shown above) is a point-and-click flash-based adventure game full of little robots and gizmos and some truly excellent art.

Here is where you can learn more or try the free demo of the video game Machinarium.

[ Thanks Bob! ]

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Nemomatic solo installation for Oakland Museum

News from Nemo Gould on his upcoming solo show:

I’m very excited to announce that I will be having a solo installation curated by the Oakland Museum of California at their off site venue: c on May 27 from 5-7 pm. This will be the first time my new sculpture "Doubtful" will be on display, as well as the first time my "Nowhere Fast" piece will have left the studio. I will also be showing "Giant Squid", "Above it All", "Re:Animated", my bicycle “"Re:Cycle" and scooter "Quicksilver". It is a rare opportunity that I can display so many of my larger works at one time. Please come if you can, and tell a friend.

Location details:
Gallery 555
555 12th Street, Oakland, CA
Lobby. Hours 7am - 6pm.
Open and free to the public
Reception May 27, 5–7 p.m.

Here is a link to a web page on the Nemomatic Solo Installation for Oakland Museum.

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Vintage 1930s Zilotone muscial automaton tin toy

Made in the 1930s by Wolverine Manufacturing Company of Pennsylvania, this vintage musical automaton toy plays the xylophone. The tune it plays is "programmed" on the profile of a cam measuring about 3" in diameter. By changing the came, the little figure will play any one of six songs:

1. The Farmer in the Dell
2. Yankee Doodle
3. My Old Kentucky Home
4. Sidewalks of New York
5. Silent Night
6. Listen to the Mocking Bird

Here is the eBay listing for this particular Vintage ZILOTONE Muscial Automaton Toy

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Art Deco style dancing Josephine Baker automaton

Check out this interesting dancing automaton depicting Josephine Baker.

From the eBay description:

This unusual piece showing the Josephine Baker's legendary, dancing tap on illuminated stage. The Art Deco scenography and the stage are made in pink metallic paint aluminum, but the surface stage is polished like mirror (she used that kind of floor to achieve special effects in her dance movements). The stage has a little bulb in the corner. The rare mechanism is electromechanical. Also, this Piece has something like a microphone or speaker that it connected on back the stage (has a very long cord).

Here is the full eBay listing with many very large photographs of this Art Deco style dancing Josephine Baker automaton

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Magnetix I-Coaster - marble run toy with magnets

Here's a video advertisement that gives you an idea of what you can do with the Magnetix I-Coaster and some of its unique magnetic features.

From the item description:

Magnetic elevator, 10 towers, 10 tower bases, 11 track pieces, 7 stunt pieces, 17 connector pieces, 2 light-up sensors, plug & play control box with speaker, 5 15-millimeter magnetic metallic rider balls and illustrated instruction booklet.

Here's where you can read a huge description of the Magnetix I-Coaster

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Amazing motorized 3-ball juggling machine

Check out this machine that actually juggles three balls in the same manner a human would. I love how he has to feed them in with the right rhythm -- as if he as passing to another juggler.

[ Thanks Christoph! ]\\

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Small, powerful, & accurate mini brass cannon

I know, I know...this definitely made the rounds on the really big blogs in the last few days. But, if even one of you, dear readers, hasn't seen this incredible tiny brass cannon, I will consider this post worthwhile.

[ Thanks Julia! ]

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Vintage record player-powered dancing figure

Back when record players were nearly the only form of musical entertainment in the home, you could turn it into a multi-media experience by adding this clever little gizmo. The figure is mounted on top of the record player or Victrola. A friction wheel behind the figure rides along the edge of record album and prompts him to dance to the music. Ingenious!

Here's the full eBay listing with many more photographs of this vintage record player-powered dancing figure

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K'nex programmable automaton based on Hero's

Back in 2007, I posted about a recreation of an invention by Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria -- a working model of a self-propelled, programmable cart that was used on the theater stage. Here is an instructable about how to make something similar out of K'nex construction toys.

If you or someone you know wants to make this or a million other crazy contraptions, here's where you can get K'NEX construction toys.

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The Musical Clock: Automata, Clocks & Watches

The Musical Clock: Musical & Automaton Clocks & Watches by Arthur W.J.G. Ord Hume covers the history of the musical clock in Britain, Europe, and the USA. Profusely illustrated with diagrams and photographs, the book examines the assorted types of musical clocks, their style, mechanisms, and the tunes they play. Automaton clocks are also covered, as are musical and automaton watches. The book also features an index of clock-makers known to have made musical clocks.

The Book's Contents:
• Chiming Clocks and Their Chimes
• Musical Clocks Classification
• Carillon Playing Clocks
• Organ Playing Clocks
• String Playing Clocks
• Comb Playing Clocks
• Compound Musical Clocks
• Automaton Clocks
• Musical and Automaton Clocks
• Musical Clocks and their Tunes
• Mechanical Musical Considerations
• Index of Makers
• Bibliography and Discography
• Index

It appears to be out-of-pirnt, but here's one place you can find used copies of Musical Clock, The: Musical and Automaton Clocks and Watches

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Slide Whistle Blower - eerie sound machine

Check out this unique and creative slide-whistle blowing machine.

From the YouTube description:

The movement and the air for the whistles comes from an old hand-cranked forge blower; the different gear ratios of the axles makes the pattern pseudo-random-ish. I have not calculated how long it will take for the pattern to repeat.

You'll be able to check this out that the upcoming (and very excellent) Maker Faire.

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Musée d'horlogerie du Locle, Switzerland

Among the permanent collections at the Musée d'horlogerie du Locle in Switzerland is the Maurice Yves Sandoz Collection, which includes automata.

About Maurice Yves Sandoz from the museum's site:

Sensitive and generous, when he learned that the city of Le Locle wanted to create a museum to house its watch and clock collections at the Château des Monts, he donated an important part of his personal collection of automatons to his commune of origin. Along with his friends, the Professor Alfred Chapuis and Mr. Fred Cornaz, poet and amateur decorator, he designed the layout of the room that since that time bears his name. Not only did Maurice Sandoz possess admirable collections of watches, jewelry and automatons, he also wrote literary works in French, English, German, Italian and Portuguese. Remarkably multi-lingual, he was a man of many talents who held Doctor's degrees in both Letters and Sciences.

Here's a link to the English version of the Musée d'horlogerie du Locle web site.

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Paper version of famous Tippo's Tiger automaton

Keith Newstead has created a paper automaton that is an homage to the famous Tippoo's Tiger automaton housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Departing from the original, Newstead's version is charmingly non-violent. He is offering the plans for the Tippo's Tiger paper automaton as a PDF on his web site.

Here is a link to the Tippo's Tiger page on Keith Newstead's blog with many nice photographs of the kit and the various stages of construction.

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Vertical Solar Machine by Szymon Klimek

Back in November of 2009, I did a short post featuring a tiny brass solar powered engine by Szymon Klimek. Here is another one of his incredible working miniature engines spinning away inside of a glass goblet! The detail and craftsmanship are simply fantastic.

See the full dazzling array of working miniatures by Szymon Klimek on his web site.

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Engineering in Miniature - model engineering magazine

Engineering in Miniature is a British magazine published monthly for amateur and professional model engineers. The magazine features model engineering construction articles which includes scale model construction of locomotives, steam road vehicles, stationary, marine, gas, and hot air engines, clocks and many model engineer workshop projects, tooling and machinery.

Here's a page where you can subscribe to Engineering in Miniature

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Storm in a Royal Delft Tea Cup automaton

Another fun new piece from the folks at Laikingland -- this one designed by John Lumbus.

Here's the product page for Storm in a Royal Delft Tea Cup.

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Ball run machine using stainless steel & pool balls

Check out this nice rolling-ball sculpture made entirely of TIG welded stainless steel. The machine features two different tracks fitted for standard billiard balls. The machine also has a clever chain-driven lift to raise the billiard balls to the start of the tracks.

See more rolling ball sculptures by Matthew Gaulden.

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Po-bot kinetic sculpture by Nemo Gould

Here's an in-the-making video snippet of one of Nemo Gould's current creations, titled 'Po-bot'.

See more sculptures by Nemo Gould on his web site.

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