Motion of rocking chair used to power a hat knitting machine

I think most of us would agree that the act of rocking in a rocking chair is an end in itself. It's soothing, but not necessarily productive. Or, is it? This clever mechanical mash-up combines a rocking chair with a knitting machine. The motion of the chair swaying back and forth is harnessed to power a the machine mounted to a frame above the chair, which slowly produces a knitted tube/hat.

The piece is entitled Rocking Knit and was crated by Damien Ludi and Colin Peillex who are associated with ECAL.

Feeling inspired? Onward, then! Here is where you can get your own hand-cranked knitting machine to use in a project of your own.

[ Found Via Laughing Squid ]

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Clock that physically writes the time created by a Japanese art student

This amazing creation was all over the internet a few weeks ago. I neglected to post about it. I feel that I should do so in case you missed it and because it is possibly the most incredible mechanical device that I have seen anyone make in recent history.

The project, called Plock, was created by art student Suzuki Kango as his senior thesis project. It contains more than 400 wooden parts that control four arms which write out the time on a magnetic drawing pad every minute. The board pushes forward when the time is written, then drops back again. This is a clever way to control the Z-axis. The arms need only be capable of moving in the X and Y axes.

The four large weights suggest that it is weight-driven. There appears to be a balance wheel in the bottom portion, so perhaps that is how it actually tells time. It doesn't seem to be moving at all times however, so this is not clear to me.

The whole thing is made of wood, too! Just astonishing.

There are more images of the writing clock on this web site (text in Japanese).

[ Thanks to Charles and all who suggested I post about this! ]

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Automaton bird plays hide-and-seek with a caterpillar

I can't say much about who made this piece other than the maker is Tetsu Yamakami . Most of the text in the video appears to be Japanese. The piece itself is wonderful. From the carving, to selection of wood types, and distinctive pegged wood frame, it's all nicely done. I particularly like the use of sound -- a bird call -- to bring the piece to life.

See additional mechanical wooden creations by Tetsu Yamakami at this web site.

Thanks to philsing for help with the artist's name!

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Artful Dodger - Interactive donation box by John Morgan

Here's a donation box made by John Morgan as a commissioned for the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University.

The piece is made of poplar, basswood, lacewood, birch ply, brass, copper, and various electronic components. The donation box is a kinetic interpretation of four works of art in the permanent collection of the Jule Collins Museum of Fina Art.

See more sculptures by John S. Morgan on his web site.

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A Moment of Silence - automaton by Al Conquergood

Check out this automaton by artist Alan Conquergood‎. In the scene, a woman is about to take the head off of a chicken, presumably for a meal. All around, a flock of chickens peck away at the ground happily. The woman carefully aligns the axe, then brings it down suddenly. The chicken's head has vanished and the others suddenly notice that something has happened. The black rooster turns in the direction of the incident. Thankfully, once the deed is done, the chicken's head soon reappears and the chickens resume eating.

See more automata by Alan Conquergood on his web site.

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AutomataCon - Event for automata artists and enthusiasts a huge success

The first automaton-themed convention, AutomataCon, took place last weekend in Morristown, New Jersey. The event brought together hundreds of artists, collectors, historians, educators, and enthusiasts of automata and other forms of kinetic art. I haven't been to many conventions, but I can say that this one was truly great.

The two day event was held at the lovely the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey. If you haven't visited the museum you might wonder why the convention was held there. The reason is straightforward and compelling: it is home to the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata -- one of the largest and important collections of its kind. Attendees could view the collection throughout the course of the event.

The stated goal of the convention was to gather people from around the world to share ideas, build relationships, and grow interest in automata new and old. In my personal experience, that is precisely what happened. There was a lot of energy all around as people met one another and shared projects, knowledge, and ideas.

The convention programming was outstanding, with two parallel tracks which ensured that there was something for people with different interests and experience levels. I was pleased to be part of two panel discussions. The first was a question and answer session with modern artists who included Tom Haney, Thomas Kuntz, Steve Armstrong, and Cecilia Schiller. The second panel was on the use of horological tools and techniques for making automata. This panel included Brittany Nicole Cox, Thomas Kuntz, and David Lindow. I am honored to have sat beside each and every one of these panelists. Other presentations at the conference included a rare film and talks on restoration, history, magic, and the making of automata.

The event included some very big names from many fields and universal enthusiasm. It was a unique, educational, and inspiring event. I would do it all over again in a hearbeat. Hats off to event founder Brett King for his good work. Thanks to Jere Ryder and the Morris Museum for being key partners is this extraordinary event. Thanks also to the panelists who made the event so fun and informative. Finally, thank you to everyone who attended. You made the event great.

If you want to share an experience from AutomataCon, I encourage you to leave a comment below.

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Biodiversity -- a motorized automaton by Paul Spooner

Here is the very latest creation from the legendary Paul Spooner. He's never made an automaton I didn't like. Well...not that I know of, anyway.

Check out the cast of characters he's created for this one! The little hand-carved figures look like they are attached a differential gear within the sphere which causes them to rotate in groups as the entire things rotates as a whole. The articulated joints allow the figures to flop into different positions as they are turned around.

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Musical marble machine created by Martin Molin plays amazing song

Videos of this machine have been all over the internet for the last few days. Many of you and taken the time to write to me to make me aware of it. I thank you all!

The machine, made by Martin Molin, uses an elaborate marble track system to create a sophisticated song. There are some 2000 marbles raised by a tracked elevator which is powered by some vigorous hand cranking. As they descend, the marbles strike the right parts of a glockenspiel, percussion instruments, and bass guitar. A lever system allows the operator/musician to turn selected instruments on and off. This allows the machine to be played in a way that goes beyond simply turning the crank and allowing the programmed track to run.

It's an amazing accomplishment technically and musically. Bravo!

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