Dug North speaks about the mechanical man at the heart of Hugo

The DVD release of the Martin Scorsese film Hugo was yesterday. I've been waiting for this day for months. It's not just that I want to see the film again. I do, but there's more to it than that. This marks my debut as an official talking head on the subject of automata!

Last summer I had the pleasure of being interviewed for one of the bonus features for the Blu-ray release of the movie Hugo. A delightful team of four film industry professionals associated with Paramount arrived at my studio in Lowell, Massachusetts. They filmed an hour-long interview with me among my assorted possessions. They asked questions about the history of automata, The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Hugo, Georges Méliès, magic, contemporary automata, and the growing interest in automata among the public.

Here is a short clip from the special bonus featurette titled The Mechanical Man at the Heart of Hugo. In this segment, I say a few words about why I think people are fascinated by automata of all sorts. Here is another spot where you can watch my on-screen interview for the Hugo DVD.

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Beautifully crafted mechanized Viking longship gone Steampunk

Feast your eyes on the meticulous craftsmanship invested into this kinetic sculpture titled Steampunk Voyager. The piece -- made of copper, brass, and polished steel -- appears to represent a mechanized Viking longboat. There are lots of juicy mechanical elements including hinges, rivets, flywheels, chain drives, pulleys, crankshafts, linkages, and a flyball governor. I don't think it is actually steam powered, but no matter; it is just gorgeous!

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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See Hugo? Like Automata? Visit the Morris Museum!

Watch Mechanical Dolls Like Ones in 'Hugo' Displayed at Morris Museum on PBS. See more from WNJT.

With the film Hugo racking up a total of 5 wins at the 2012 Oscar Awards, the public seems more interest in automata than ever. Here's a great news clip from NJToday Online titled 'Mechanical Dolls Like Ones in 'Hugo' Displayed at Morris Museum.' Indeed they are! The museum is home to a huge collection of automata originally owned by Murtough D. Guinness. Guinness -- an heir to the brewery of the same name -- collected over 700 of these fantastic mechanical pieces throughout his life and donated them to the museum. While they may not have a drawing automaton quite as sophisticated as the one in the movie, what they do have will still delight and astound any visitor.

Here is where you can learn more about the Guinness collection of automata at the Morris Museum.

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Levitron Revolution Platform will levitate small objects for display

Got a small item you would like to show off in the most futuristic of ways? The Levitron Revolution makes levitating display objects possible! It can hold an object up to 13 ounces in mid-air and illuminates it from below(always dramatic) with 4 white accent LED spotlights. For the added sci-fi effect, the objects continuously revolve in space. Got any ideas? We would love to hear them!

Here is where you can get the Levitron Revolution Platform.

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Mysterious Franklin Institute automaton identified itself in writing!

The Huffington Post published an article online yesterday about the automaton in the Martin Scorsese film Hugo and its connection to a real automaton now housed at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The article covers the fascinating journey of this remarkable machine, created around 1800 my the Swiss watchmaker, Henri Maillardet. The story of the real automaton parallels that of the one in author Brian Selznick's book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, to a remarkable degree -- right down to the automaton identifying its lost lineage by writing a message. This really happened!

Here is a link to the full article from The Huffington Post titled Franklin Institute Automaton Has Link To 'Hugo'.

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"A World Around" - kinetic sculpture by Jim Jenkins

Check out this fascinating piece from artist Jim Jenkins titled A World Around. The piece is a motorized rolling ball sculpture with illuminated text elements. Jenkins uses an Arduino microcontroller to orchestrate various actions (i.e. the motors and lights) through a two minute cycle.

From the video description:

A track is mounted on a motorized base. As the base moves it causes a small globe to make irregular orbits around a yellow house. Intermittently illuminating on the interior walls of the house are the words "YOU, ME, US THEM."

See more kinetic sculpture by Jim Jenkins on his web site.

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John Gaughan - The mechanical mastermind behind magic illusions and automata

If you didn't catch it yesterday, Boing Boing posted an online interview with the legendary John Gaughan yesterday. Gaugh is the mechanical mastermind behind many famous magical effects and illusions. He is also an expert on various forms of automata and has a collection of important historical pieces and recreations. The interview spends a good deal of time discussing The Turk -- the infamous chess-playing automaton -- an authentic recreation of which (see below) sits among John Gaughan's massive assortment of magical possessions.

Among his many automata treasures is a mechanical life-size figure of Harry Houdini who will sign his name on a piece of paper (see video below).

Here is the full interview with John Gaughan on Boing Boing.

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Proxxon 5" disc sander, a precision device for fine sanding work

I have two Proxxon benchtop tools -- the table saw and miter saw. These tools are of excellent quality and just the right size for an automaton-maker or model maker. I have had my eye on Proxxon's bench sander for quite a while. At long last, a good Samaritan has taken the time to review it on Amazon! I'm going to quote from that review here, because it is some of the best information I've found about his tool so far:

From one Amazon review:

After looking for a disc sander for model hobby needs, I finally settled down on this disc sander. While a bit spendy, the quality more than justified the purchase. I will have this tool for decades; and I'm not having to return some other tool. This is the first product I have purchased in quite a while WITHOUT a tag saying "made in china". It's about time.

I went with this model because of significant problems I'd encounter with all the other products available:

• All the other disc sanders were too big
  
• They didn't have a slow enough "slow" speed setting, or no speed adjustment at all
  
• None in this size had a vacuum connection
  
• The other one from micromark had a foot-pedal from a sewing machine to set the speed (microlux)
  
• Low quality and difficult adjusting sanding table/gauge
  
• Overall quality factors
  

After receiving this product and trying it out, wow. This is a quality machine. It hogs out balsa and light ply at a crawl when I want, and eats it away when I want it to. The dust vacuum port is very effective (and entirely necessary). This is the perfect complement to my scroll saw. The table for resting the wood is firm, easily adjusted, precise and accurate. The variable speed control is extremely smooth. The silicone faced disc makes for easy changes of the sand paper. I am producing model parts at a very fast rate, I cant wait to get started on the next build.

The reviewer goes on to say that this sander is for specifically model and miniature makers. Don't expect it to take the place of a 10 or 16" disk sander for a full size woodworking shop. That said, the Proxxon Disc Sander is of a size and quality that no other tool in the category can match.

Here's what the sander looks like when mounted to the bench in the other orientation:

Here's a link to a lot more info on Proxxon Disc Sander.

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Short film featuring exquisite antique automata

Here is a film that was originally created as a school program back in the 1980s. The 8 minutes of film show the variety and complexity found in antique automata. Examples include magicians, acrobats, clowns, musicians, and the three masterpieces by Pierre Jaquet-Droz -- the Musician, the Writer, and the Draftsman. Enjoy!

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A "penny toy" acrobat dating to about 1900

Check out this nifty "penny toy" acrobat dating to around 1900. The piece was brought in to The House of Automata for repair and is quite rare. I love how such a simple mechanism can produce such an enchanting object.

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"My Door" by Tom Haney is available via phone auction

Here is a new piece by Tom Haney based on the Kahlil Gibran quote, "When I wrote on my door: "Leave your traditions outside, Before you come in," Not a soul dared to visit me or open my door." The motor-driven figure slowly opens the door, peers out, then retreats the way he came.

The piece is part of the 100 Artists Show At Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, OR. All the pieces in the show are up for auction and the proceeds will be donated to a local charity. The bidding is done by phone only. As of last weekend this piece was up to just over $1000. It retails for far more than that; this is a rare chance for those seeking to acquire a Tom Haney automaton. Bidding on this piece ends at 5pm February 24th. The number to call is 503-581-3229.

You can get more information about the automaton and see video of it in action on Tom Haney's blog.

Here is where you can get more information about the show 100 Artists Show At Mary Lou Zeek Gallery.

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Video showing The Modern Automata Museum in Italy

Here is a wonderful video featuring an assortment of automata that are part of the collection of The Modern Automata Museum located in Montopoli di Sabina, Rieti, Italy. The film includes a commentary (in Italian) by the director of the museum about automata and his vision for the museum.

Learn more about The Modern Automata Museum on their website.

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SketRobo drawing automaton can see & draw you!

Magician Brad Henderson from Austin Texas recently spotted this soon-to-be released toy automaton. The SketRobo is a small robot capable of drawing with pen and paper. OK...so we've seen automata that have been doing this for hundreds of years. What makes the SketRobo different is that it can change what it draws based on what it can see at any given moment.

One model draws images stored in memory. Another model has an on-board camera and facial recognition technology allowing it to draw portraits on the spot. Now that is a new twist on this old theme! The SketRobo should be available in the fall of 2012 -- retailing for around $60 for the no-camera version and about $100 for the one with the camera. It's being marketed as a way to teach kids how to draw, but I think we will see it put to many creative uses.

It is a remarkable coincidence that a drawing automaton product should follow so closely behind the release of the film Hugo, which featured just such a machine. It seems we are as fascinated today by the idea of a drawing machine as they were 200 years ago when audiences first saw Maillardet's drawing automaton. I wonder what he would have thought about the facial recognition technology?

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'Be Mine' - a small kinetic sculpture made of tinplate

Tinplate Girl made a special Valentine's Day gift using the various metalworking techniques she demonstrates on her awesome instructional site. Tinplate Dad got into the act too. He made a small kinetic sculpture you'll see in the second half of the video. Both projects incorporate tinplate, brass wire, a bit of wood, soldering, and mechanical fastening. No glue was used!

Here is where you can read about and see more images of these two tinplate Valentine's Day projects.

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Paul Spooner talk: mechanical jokes for people with short attention spans

Renowned automaton artist Paul Spooner will talk about his work at the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society in Falmouth, Cornwall on February 16th at 7.30pm.

From the event description:

Paul’s career as an automaton maker ("making mechanical jokes for people with short attention spans") has included commissions for the Science Museum and Louis Vuitton, as well as a television programme, Mechanisms, on Channel 4. His work combines humour and an obsessive attention to detail with delightful and intriguing mechanisms. Every now and then, he puts together a dossier on his career so far and shows it to a group of people hoping that somebody will be able to spot any kind of progress or system. The last time this happened at The Poly was about eight years ago. Let's have another try.

Here is where you can learn more about the talk by Paul Spooner and book tickets if you will be in the area.

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Carving Faces Workbook: Learn to Carve Facial Expressions and Characteristics with the Legendary Harold Enlow

Here's a recently published book that provides detailed instruction on carving faces in wood. Written by the renowned caricature carver, Harold Enlow, the book is directed at the caricature carver, but is a solid foundation for realistic carving as well. The author provides photos and step-by-step instruction on how to carve some of those tricky areas of the face such as the eyes, mouth, and ears. In addition to covering these specific parts, a few complete example faces are also included. This book is a valuable reference that comes highly rated!

Here is where you can get Carving Faces Workbook: Learn to Carve Facial Expressions and Characteristics.

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Dozens of free mechanical paper toy plans from the 1920s

The Barnacle Press has posted a set of mechanical paper toy plans created by Dan Rudolph for the LA Times back in 1922 and 1923. The plans show you how to make moving toys by cutting out and articulating the parts of various cartoon characters. Shown here is an example of the plans, this one titled The Village Blacksmith. There are over 25 plans in all including sports figures, tradesmen, kids, and assorted animals. This is a great resource and looks like they would be a lot of fun to make.

Here is where you can get these free papercraft mechanical toy plans.

[ Thanks Brian! ]

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Tiny Tabs Indigestion Tablets mechanical window display

Protected for years in its original shipping crate, this early 20th century window display advertises "Tiny Tabs Indigestion Tablets". The mechanical sign features a clockwork motor that allows the center body portion to spin and the ball on top to swing. When the swinging ball approaches the upright post on the left, the string gets caught. The ball is carried around the post, wrapping the string with it. The string then unwinds, freeing the ball, allowing it to swing again. I've seen a clock that uses a similar principle as a regulating pendulum.

From the eBay description:

Measuring 21" wide at the base by 29 1/4" tall to the top of the spinning wood balls, this early 20th century, Advertising Automaton advertises for "Tiny Tabs Indigestion Tablets." After some searching on the net I found that this product was made by the Peace Remedy Company, which was a small Brooklyn NY Company. There is very little on the net about this company never mind another advertising sign of any sort. The advertisement of a cartoon character, with a Tablet Body is very close to the "Speedy Alka Seltzer" character who came later.

The seller has a much longer description and a ton of interesting photos of the Tiny Tabs Indigestion Tablets mechanical window display.

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Another contraption-filled music video by the band OK Go!

Remember that insane music video by the band OK Go in which a massive chain reaction accompanies the song? Well, they've done it again, only this time the band plays a much more active part. In fact, strapped inside of a Chevy sonic, they ARE the reaction in this chain of events as they drive the tricked-out car through a musically rigged maze. These guys are wildly creative and quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

From the video description:

OK Go set up over 1000 instruments over two miles of desert outside Los Angeles. A Chevy Sonic was outfitted with retractable pneumatic arms designed to play the instruments, and the band recorded this version of Needing/Getting, singing as they played the instrument array with the car. The video took 4 months of preparation and 4 days of shooting and recording.

You can learn more at Chevy's Let's Do This site and at the band's web site: http://www.okgo.net. My hat is off to you, gentlemen.

[ via Gizmodo ]

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Anitique clockwork-driven polar bear automaton

Check out this clockwork polar bear automaton, probably European made and dating to the turn of the century. This automaton is currently available on ebay.

From the eBay description:

When wound, this Polar Bear walks along on all four paws, opening and closing his mouth to flash his teeth, then suddenly stop and rear up on his hind legs again opening and closing his mouth to scare us with his teeth, then he’ll drop down on all fours and walk forward starting the cycle over again!

Here is a link to this Anitque clockwork polar bear automaton.

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Automata article: 19th-Century Mechanical Wonders

Here is a new article in Antiques & Auction News about the automata exhibition currently on display at the International Terminal of San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

From the automata article:

The history of automata (plural) parallels humanity’s undiminished and continuous quest to create an object that has the appearance of moving like a human or an animal. The word is derived from the Greek automatos, meaning "self-moving."

The article describes the exhibit its relation to the Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments & Automata at the Morris Museum. The exhibit itself is open to all visitors, ticketed and non-ticketed.

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Video of kinetic sculptures by artist eda taşlı

Check out this great video featuring a selection of kinetic sculptures from eda taşlı.

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Black & white film from 1950 featuring musical automata

Check out this preview clip provided by The British Pathé Film Archive featuring a number of automata filmed in 1950. Among the automata shown are a gorgeous watch-sized music box, a whistling figure, banjo player, musical birds, a monkey playing the harp, a tight rope walker, and a smoking cavalier figure puffing away on a real cigarette!

[ Thanks Michael! ]

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How to use old gift cards to spread glue

The folks at the Timberkits Workshop have taken time to share two uses for old plastic credit or gift cards. It turns out they can be quite useful when gluing Timberkits wood automata kits, or anything else for that matter! The first tip demonstrated shows how to use two credit card shims to allow a captive cam to move freely. The second tip shows that slivers of old credit card make great glue spreaders -- especially for the endgrain of wood.

Timberkits wooden automata kits can be ordered online:
  In the United States visit: http://www.timberkitsus.com/store/
  In the UK and Europe http: xhttp://www.timberkits.com/Home/

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