Watch with magician automaton in a walnut shell

Made in Geneva in 1810, this incredible watch was made in a walnut shell. It incorporates a magician automaton and music! This is just one of the treasures to be found at the Patek Philippe Museum near Lake Geneva. It houses one of the most important collections of watches in the world, going back six hundred years.

Here is an article and gorgeous photo set titled six centuries of the world's greatest watches.

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Fortune Bird Automaton by Bliss Kolb

Back in February of 2011, I encountered the gorgeous automata of Bliss Kolb. If you missed them, check out the fine craftsmanship on his crow automaton and chirping bird automaton. Shown here is another bird automaton. While I don't know all the details, I gather it is a work in progress of what will be a coin operated fortune-telling machine. Excellent! The motions of the wings, head and plume are great. He certainly has a way with mechanical birds!

You can check out a variety of different work by Bliss Kolb on his web site.

[ Thanks for the reminder Charles! ]

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A nicely made barber shop scene automaton

Here's a nicely made automaton by Heidi Svenberg. It has a lot of cool mechanical elements such wooden gears to change the speed and direction of motion. Also note the nice cams right in front. I like how the limbs are driven by elements of the scene -- the leg by the chair lift and the arm by the trimmer's power cord. The motion of the chair rising in response to the foot is very convincing! The figures and painting are really nice, as is the sign and spinner barber shop pole. This charming piece was made as a tribute a particular barber.

You can see a few more creations by Heidi Svenberg on her YouTube channel.

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Mechanical wooden flower that opens and closes

Octalypseis a mechanical wooden flower that opens and closes when the base is raised and lowered. The piece is made of many beautiful materials including Redheart, Grenadillo, Avocado, Purpleheart, Canary, and Lacewood. Very nice, indeed.

You can see more photographs of this mechanical flower piece on the Creative Outlaw web site.

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Wood and metal self-reversing segmental peg gear

This clever mechanism allows a segmental peg gear to reverse direction though the driving pinion continues to rotate in the same direction! I am guessing it was used as an elevator for a marble machine. The piece was recently featured on the Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik blog.

The design of the mechanism is brilliant. A pinion gear drives a spoked peg gear located at a right angle to it. The peg gear features a compound mechanism. A section of the pegs have been removed and replaced with two horizontal wires (bent into curves). When the pinion reaches the end of the pegs, it disengages. At this moment, the end of the shaft upon which the pinion is mounted comes in contact with one of the two the horizontal wires on the peg gear. Because the entire drive shaft assembly is hinged (i.e. mounted on a single pivot located on the side farthest from the gear) it is free swing within a certain range from side to side. The turning drive shaft rides the horizontal wire, causing the entire drive assembly to shift to the opposite side of the peg gear, where it once again engages with the last pin of the peg gear. Because the pinion is now located on the other side of the peg gear, the gear will be driven in the opposite direction! The process is then reversed using the other horizontal wire. Truly ingenious.

[ Thanks Dave! ]

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The Scribe Clock: amazing water clock by al-Jazari

A short time ago, we posted about the amazing Elephant clock by the ancient inventor and engineer, al-Jazari. This video demonstrates the workings of a simpler, but nevertheless ingenious water clock.

Like most water clocks, also known as a clepsydra, the flow of water measures the passage of time. In this clock, al-Jazari placed a float on the surface of the water. Though buoyant, the float does have weight. As the water level falls, the weight also falls. Ropes (probably fine chains) and pulleys transfer the the linear pull of the weight into the rotary motion of a vertical axle. A scribe figure attached to this rotating axle will then spin slowly, the rod in his hand pointing to the hour of the day.

Several things make this water clock interesting. First, the use of the figure places it in a category with automata. Second, standing at 1.5 meters high the clock is large -- and no doubt heavy -- but still portable. That's most useful. Third, the reservoir that holds the water has been tapered in an effort to keep the flow of water at a constant rate. This would have made the clock more accurate than a straight-sided tank. Finally, this was designed 800 years ago!

You can learn more about water clocks, as well as other ancient forms of time-keeping from this volume of The Time Museum, a book which also covers sand-glasses and fire-clocks.

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Recreation of Kempelen's speaking machine (1791)

Wolfgang von Kempelen (1734 –1804) is known mainly as the man who created famous The Turk Automaton Chess Player. Kempelen was a gifted inventor who designed steam-engines, water-pumps, a pontoon bridge, a steam turbine for mills, a typewriter for the blind, and various works of architecture. He also created a number of speaking machines, one of which has been recreated and is demonstrated in the video presented here.

From the YouTube description:

The 'speaking machine' of Wolfgang von Kempelen (1734-1804) was the first fully functional speech synthesis ever. This is a short presentation of the replica built 2007-09 at the department of Phonetics of Saarland University, Saarbrücken (Germany) by Fabian Brackhane, Dominik Bauer with assistance by the Orgelbaumanufaktur Hugo Mayer.

As with many speaking machines and talking dolls, I believe this one is saying "Mama" and "Papa".

You can learn more about Wolfgang von Kempelen in the books The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous Eighteenth-Century Chess-Playing Machine and also the fascinating Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life.

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Video of Gianello Torriano's monk automaton

A few months ago, we posted about a 400 year old monk automaton. While that post has a great embedded audio story about the monk, it did not have video of this incredible creation in action. Here you go. There is no sound, so there is no need to try to fix your speakers.

This automaton figure of a monk dates to around 1560 and is believed to have been created by Gianello Torriano -- an Italian engineer and master clockmaker. The automaton currently resides at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Here is a web page featuring a detailed article about the monk automaton by Elizabeth King.

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Hero's automatic wine dispensing machine

Hero of Alexandria (aka Heron of Alexandria) created many amazing machines. In addition to his work on pneumatics, he also had a treatise on automata. Shown here is one of the many inventions he is credited with: an automatic wine dispensing machine. Though the narration is not in English, the graphics are so good it hardly matters what language you speak.

Here is the basic idea: A cup at one end of a balance is placed below the spout. A counter weight is removed below the cup and the opposite end of the balance becomes heavier. As the opposite end of the balance descends, it causes a stopper to lift and allow wine to flow out of the vessel and into the empty cup. Eventually, the cup fills with enough wine to tip the balance back to the original position, closing the valve. The weight below the cup is replaced and a pre-measured portion of wine taken away with the cup! Some have argued this is an early form of systems control.

To read more about Hero and other early engineers, the book Ancient Engineers comes highly recommended.

The video is by Omid Ameri.

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The Turk, writing automaton by Paul Spooner

Paul Spooner tips his hat to automata of the past and adds his unique wit to this new piece. Having just finished reading a book on The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous Eighteenth-Century Chess-Playing Machine, I am delighted to see this one. This version of the Turk has taken on challenges beyond chess including the Rubik's Cube and Sudoku. I'd have to rank this among my favorites now. Just brilliant.

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Build and operate a Darth Vader robotic arm

You may not know this but automata and artificial limbs have shared a long history. It seems only fitting that this relationship would continue to the present day and even into our notions of the future -- science fiction. Shown here is a robotic arm toy that replicates Darth Vader's artificial arm.

The Darth Vader Robotic Arm is a kit that snaps together. It includes the stand with built-in controls. The arm is capable of gripping hand holding lightweight objects. Most surprisingly, no batteries are required!

Be sure to read the positive reviews for tips on how to assemble the arm so that it does all that it supposed to do.

Here is a link to the Star Wars Science - Darth Vader Robotic Arm.

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Video of Griesbaum whistling postman mechanism

Here is a nice video showing a 1967 Griesbaum whistling postman figure. The video is very clear and provides a nice view of the whistling mechanism in action.

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Animation of an inverted Geneva mechanism

The animation shown here was done by artist New Gottland using Autodesk Inventor 2012 Professional. The device in the model was inspired by mechanism #169 from the book 1800 Mechanical Movements, Devices and Appliances (Dover Science Books) by Gardner D. Hiscox.

The mechanism appears fairly simple at first glance -- mostly because there are not that many parts. But, watch the numbers on counter, the pointer as in interacts with the pins, the motion of the dial and how it is held in a fixed station for a few moments. There is a lot going on there!

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Video describing Al-Jazari's elephant clock

Last year, we posted about an amazing ancient engineer you may not have heard of, al-Jazari. Among the many incredible machines described in his book Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices is the elephant clock. It was a joy to see this very clear video describing this enormous water-clock with automata.

[ Thanks to Thomas Kuntz for sharing this find! ]

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Gravity escapement prototype in wood

Gravity escapement? Wow, I am going to have to read up on this! Shown here is a prototype gravity escapement constructed in wood. The escapement is based on a clock designed by Julian Kägi that was published in the NAWCC Bulletin.

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Make a carved kicking mule action toy

Here's a short article on how to carve and assemble this kicking mule toy that we discovered back in 2008. I thought it was time to bring it to your attention once again. The project is made by noted woodcarver David Sabol. David Sabol is author of the the book Wood Carving Basics as well as a very comprehensive DVD on Wood Carving Basics.

From the article:

The mule consists of four components: head, ears, front legs joined to the main body, and hindquarters. Pieces of brass rod hold the various parts together, and lengths of string keep them articulated.

Here is the link to the article on how to make a kicking mule toy.

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French automaton monkey playing the cymbals

Here's an antique French automaton monkey furiously playing the cymbals. That's a pretty funny motion, but probably only in small doses! This crazy little guy is currently up for auction on ebay.

Here is a link to many more pictures and a description of this French automaton monkey playing the cymbals.

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How a rooster sound is produced in a clock

An interesting and lively thread on The Automata / Automaton Facebook Group page started by artist Aaron Kramer has to do with means for producing the sound of a crow. Not wind-generated method, but a mechanical one. Among the many wonderful responses, this video was posted by the automaton-maker Thomas Kuntz.

The video explains the clever mechanism within a rare musical clock that is used to create the sound of a rooster on the hour. The clock was made by Emilian Wehrle of Furtwangen, Germany around 1890. The video is from www.blackforestclocks.org

For more on the subject, check out the book Black Forest Clocks.

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Making Mechanical Marvels In Wood book review

Making Mechanical Marvels In Wood

In many ways, this book is not unlike Making Wooden Mechanical Models: 15 Designs With Visible Wheels, Cranks, Pistons, Cogs, and Cams. There are, however, some important differences between the two books.

Like Making Wooden Mechanical Models, this book isn't specifically written for automata makers. And, again, it's similar to the aforementioned book in that the models in the book are really about basic machines themselves as finished projects. In some ways, the projects in this book are simpler than in Making Wooden Mechanical Models and I believe that is its true strength.

Key Building Blocks of Automata
Making Mechanical Marvels differs in that many of the projects in this book are key building blocks to making contemporary wooden automata. For example, projects such as the cam and follower, the Scotch yoke, the fast-return actuator, and the geneva wheel are all key elements of many automata I have used these mechanisms I have used in my own contemporary automata.

The Same, But Different
The projects in this book are very handsome in themselves and would look great on a desk. There's something inexpressibly classy about machines made of wood.

I bought Making Mechanical Marvels bundled with Making Wooden Models from Amazon.com and I'm glad I did. The two books really compliment each other. I would consider this book to be Volume 1. This book has very clear instructions and drawings to get you up to speed making wooden mechanisms. Making Wooden Models is more like a Volume 2 in which you tackle more complicated projects that model more complete mechanical systems. They go together well. That said, there is a an ACTUAL second volume to the latter book called Making More Wooden Mechanical Models. Also good, and very much like its predecessor.

Less Lathe Work
One thing that really makes this book different from the others mentioned in this review is that it doesn't require the use of a wood lathe too complete the projects. This makes it useful to a greater number of people -- myself included. If you have a lathe and are good with it, by all means: buy the other two book mentioned!

A Confession
I haven't made any of these models yet, but I have learned a great deal from this book. I recall finishing an automaton and then looking through this book. I wish I had done it sooner, for I found a design for universal joint that I could have used to great effect. I decided not overlook this book as a wood mechanism resource ever again.

The book has well-drawn line diagrams and a series of color pages in the center. The instructions are very well written; I would feel good about giving this book to a new woodworker or youngster looking for a science fair project.

Bonus!
The book concludes with some very handy shop tips and jigs. The book is particularly strong in this area. Special jigs will help you to make things right the first time. This can save a lot of heart-ache and frustration. Shop tips alone can make a book worth the cover price.

Here is where you can order the book Making Mechanical Marvels In Wood.

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Paper airplane electric motor conversion kit

I hope the designer of this paper airplane conversion kit wins every toy award in existence this year. The idea is so simple, and so cool. Basically, this kit is made up of a propeller mounted on a pager motor. A shaft connects the motor to the body of the plane and to a capacitor -- its power source -- at the opposite end.

Here's the drill: make a paper airplane (and do a nice job of this time, please), attach the motor to the plane, charge the capacitor and get the motor up to speed, then throw it! The capacitor will power the motor for up to 90 seconds. That's a good flight for a paper airplane!

Here's what the kit looks like installed in a paper airplane:

The green block in the child's right hand is the charger, which holds 3 AA batteries (not included). The beauty of this kit is that you can crash your plane without worrying about destroying some of those pesky vital components such as wings. Just make a new plane! You can experiment endlessly with different plane designs. If you run out of ideas there are innumerable books with paper airplane designs.

It's a great idea, creative, economical, largely recyclable, probably educational, and just plane (ahem...excuse me) plain fun. Here is where you can get the paper airplane electric motor conversion kit.

[ Thanks Aaron! ]

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Automata by Simon Venus with black-and-white prints

Here are some lovely automata by Simon Venus made for a show in London in 2007. I love his use of black-and-white prints. It gives this work a distinct, cohesive quality while allowing for some wonderfully imaginative and surreal images.

One limited edition shown in the video can be seen and acquired on the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre web site.

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Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life

I long while ago, I did a short post on the book Edison's Eve by Gaby wood. I didn't say much about it, other than it was a good book. Having reread it recently, I wanted to a say a bit more. You can expect a full review in the coming months.

The book is framed around a central question: what is it that makes us human and how do representations of humans in some animated form challenge us to return to that question again and again. Against the backdrop of this framework, Wood examines five historical subjects. Some of these deal quite specifically with automata. The chapters cover the following subjects:

1 - The Frenchman Jacques de Vaucanson and the several famous automata he created in the the 18th-century

2 - Wolfgang von Kempelen's chess-playing machine, the Turk, who beat fine chess players on several continents for decades. There is plenty of interesting stuff on Johann Nepomuk Maelzel in this chapter too.

3 - Thomas Edison's attempt to enter the toy market by incorporating his newly-developed phonograph into the body of a doll.

4 - The ground-breaking early special-effects films of Georges Méliès.

5 - The Doll family who toured with Ringling Brothers and appeared in The Wizard of Oz.

The book is very well written and the product of extensive research. I tended to prefer the chapters that dealt specifically with automata, but they are all connected in some way -- sometimes loosely and sometimes tightly. Overall, it's an educational and enjoyable read.

Here is where you can order Edison's Eve: A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life in paperback. The hardcover version is out-of-print, but easily obtained used for a similar price.

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Hand-cranked metal fish distorts amplifier sounds

The latest kinetic sculpture from Chris Cole, called Velouria, features a guitar amplifier hidden in the base. When you crank the sculpture, the metallic fish like comes to life. In addition, various ports are open and close which affects the sound coming from the amplifier.

From the YouTube description:

This piece was inspired by the Pixies song and will be part of the "Dig For Fire" show at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice California Sept 9-October 1, 2011.

Sounds like an interesting show! There is more on this sculpture at Chris Cole's web site.

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Tipu's Tiger and its built-in organ being played

Some time ago, I did a short post about Tipu's Tiger (AKA Tipoo's Tiger) on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The best I could do at the time was to link to a video on another site. Here is a demonstration of the automaton in which you get to hear the organ-based sounds meant to represent the tiger and its victim. Not quite as terrifying as one might imagine.

There is actually an organ built into the automaton itself which can be played. For a fascinating look inside of the piece and to see a Conservator play the organ, check out this video.

The tiger has a fascinating history. Here is an article about the Tipu's Tiger on Wikipedia and here another article on Tipu's Tiger from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

[ Thanks Tom! ]

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Sampling of various automata from Cecilia Schiller

Here's a nice assemblage of automata and woodcarving by Cecilia Schiller. There are some clever designs in there!

See more mechanical sculpture by Cecilia Schiller on her web site.

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Sneak peek video of Dug North's latest automaton

I'm still in the design phase of my current automaton, so wasn't planning on sharing it until much later. Well, something happened last weekend to change that. The Lowell Folk Festival was held last weekend. The smallish city where I lived completely filled with people coming to hear all kinds of folk music. I was asked to help out for a little while at a tent providing information about the Arts League of Lowell of which I am a member. On a whim, I grabbed my piece-in-progress as I was heading out to do my two hour volunteer stint.

I turned the crank on this piece for two straight hours in the middle of downtown Lowell. It was beta and stress testing at the same time! I got to see the reaction of a broad range of people, which was both interesting and informative. The mechanism held up quite well.

I am flattered that so many people stopped to take a look while on their way from one performance to another. This video was taken by one of those people.

The video is short, I know. It is just a sneak peek. The piece doesn't even have a title and won't be done for a while yet. I do hope you enjoy trying to figure out what the heck is going on in the automaton's scene!

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UPDATE: I was thrilled and honored to have this video posted on BoingBoing.net on August 2nd, 2011 under the title Crazed giant beast hand-cranked automaton protoype. Thank you!

[ Thanks Ann! ]

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Motorized model of human-powered flying machine

Here is a short video showing an animated model of a human-powered flying machine. According the YouTube video description, it was designed and built by Jurgen Heimann from the Discovery Channel show Doing DaVinci. I haven't been able to find out much about it. Anyone out there seen it before or perhaps have one?

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