Carved wood and clockwork devil automaton in Milan from the 16th century

Photo by Bob Frishman, 2013

This devil automaton now housed at a museum in Milan was made by taking a sixteenth-century torso -- possibly that of Christ at the Column -- and applying a clockwork mechanism to it. The automaton when cranked would turn its head and eyes, stick out the its tongue, and make an inarticulate sound. A seventeenth-century description mentions horns and a collar which are now lost.

The piece is part of the Applied Arts Collections Museum in the Sforza Castle in Milan, Italy. Another interesting blog posts about this devil automaton can be found on the io9 blog.

[ Thanks to Bob Frishman of Bell-Time Clocks for the discovery and photo! ]

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Did anyone design better wooden machines than Leonardo da Vinci?

Here is some video showing part of an exhibit that was at the California University of Pennsylvania titled Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion. In it, we see the breadth of Leonardo's genius. There is a large-scale wing designed for human flight, a pillar lifting device, and a water-powered saw mill. This, of course, just scratches the surface of what he created, but it gives you a feel for the ingenious way in which his mind worked on a both practical and fanciful problems.

If you are as fascinated by Leonardo's machines as I am, you might want to check out the book Leonardo's Machines: Da Vinci's Inventions Revealed which gets a 5-star rating on Amazon -- no small accomplishment.

From the book description:

This unique volume combines work from the original secret, coded, notebooks along with modern computer imaging, to piece together over 30 of Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical inventions into a sensational set of never-seen-before artworks. From Leonardo da Vinci's descriptions and drawings - and by using digital imaging - armoured ships, hydraulic machinery, winches and machines destined for use in war, work and pleasure emerge fully equipped and functional in stunning 3-dimensional, computer-generated artworks.

Also of interest may be a different book, Leonardo's Machines: Secrets & Inventions in the Da Vinci Codices. This one explores what Leonardo's inventions would have looked like if his sketches were brought to life in three dimensions. Sadly, we can't preview the inside of this book on Amazon, but the reviewers like it. Let me know if you have it and like it.

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Automata hit the big time: Coke uses automata for new commercial

Check out this commercial for Coca-Cola. The idea is to show a time-travelling trip back through one happy man's life that cycles around to another generation. According to the video description, the concept was "to show how movement was key to his happiest moments". Coke commissioned model-makers Anarchy to create a set of moving animatronic puppets that can run, jump and throw babies in real time. The Anarchy Special Effects team is listed as Bob Thorne, Jason Szukalski, Paula Vine, Jonathan Bickerdike, Dave Allum, James Churches, Alex Roseberry, Robin Saunders, and Joe Szukalski. Well done!

[ Thanks Alex!]

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Graceful ballerina automaton by artist Colin Neu is powered by a Gramophone motor

Artist Colin Neu has finished a new piece, this one featuring a ballerina on a rotating platform. As the platform turns the figure raises and lowers her head, arms and one leg, gracefully striking different positions. As with many of his works, this one is powered by an old Gramophone motor. The dancing figure is made of wood, while the mechanism is made of various metals including brass. Another fine piece!

The aritst's contact information can be found at the end of the video.

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Keith Newstead and Rob Higgs create two life-size clockwork men for the film 'The Best Offer'

What happens when you bring a well-known autoamton-artist like Keith Newstead together with a mechanical genius like artist Rob Higgs? Something like what you see in the video above happens, namely mechanical magic. Newstead has been featured here on The Automata Blog more times than I can count. Higgs has made a sensation of late with his giant wine bottle opening machine.

[ Thanks Phil! ]

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YouTube Channel by Nguyen Duc Thang is brimming with awesome mechanical models in action

Nguyen Duc Thang is a mechanical engineer with doctorate located in Hue City, Vietnam.

He has used Autodesk Inventor 2008 to create all a YouTube channel FILLED with animated mechanisms. Shown above is his model for a barrel cam mechanism in which a rotational motion is converted into linear reciprocating one.

He has models for things I've never even glimpsed as a static image, much less a moving model. Check out this Archimedean spiral gear and pin gear (below). How on earth would you accomplish something like this another way? It not only reduces the speed of the rotating axle, but does so nearly in-line with the original input motion -- and all with just two interlocking parts!

He has modeled interesting cams, gears and linkages as well as, complete machines and machine tools. This is a treasure trove for the mechanically minded. Check out Nguyen Duc Thang's YouTube Channel.

[ Thanks Michael! ]

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Web site dedicated to the book '507 Mechanical Movements' with animated mechanisms

So by now you must have realized how much I love the little book titled 507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices. Here is a review of the book I wrote years ago. I stand by it to this day. I will just go ahead and say it: buy one today!

Here's a web site dedicated entirely to this fine little book. What makes it truly interesting is that some of the diagrams are animated and there is the promise to animate more of them. This really brings the mechanisms to life and their usefulness apparent. The thumbnails in color are the ones that currently have animated versions. Can't wait to see the rest!

[ Thanks Aaron! ]

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Tinkerer's Clock by artist Tim Hunkin at the Exploratorium in San Francisco

Here is a video featuring British artist Tim Hunkin installing his latest creation for the Exploratorium in San Francisco. The piece is a huge kinetic sculpture clock featuring small tinkerers at work.

Learn more about the amazing Tim Hunkin on his web site.

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One woodworker's version of my 'Unwelcome Dinner Guest' automaton made from plans

Theresa Grammer came upon the plans I created for a wood automaton, called The Unwelcome Dinner Guest. This automaton was created to be a wooden mechanical project that was featured in Gizmos & Gadgets, a special edition magazine from the publishers of Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts. The article shows the process of making this automaton from start to finish.

From Theresa's email:

I wanted something a bit more complicated and was thrilled to find your blog jam packed with information and a link to plans for your "Unwelcome Dinner Guest"! The plans are very detailed and I was able to build the automata without difficulty. This was fun!

Her version can be seen in the YouTube video above. She also has a short article about the project on the Lumberjocks website. I like the way she used different types of woods and really made her dog unique. Her success has inspired her to work on creating an automaton design of her own.

The original automaton I created for the magazine article is for sale! Here is a page with details about The Unwelcome Dinner Guest automaton by Dug North. Please contact me or use the Paypal button on the page to order the piece online and pay with the credit card of your choice. This is the original signed piece. It comes with a copy of the magazine in which it was featured, also signed by Dug North.

Here is where you can purchase The Unwelcome Dinner Guest automaton by Dug North.

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