Massive robot dragon fights a giant spider in Beijing's Olympic Park

Check out this performance of puppetry on a grand scale. The giant robots perform a show loosely based on Chinese mythology. The puppets were created by the French company, La Machine.

Learn more about the Robot dragon and giant spider on the BBC News web site.

[ Thanks Bill! ]

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Fantastic musical automaton clock of an elephant worth £1.4 million

Check out this ormolu musical automaton clock by Peter Torckler. The piece was part of an auction held at Sotheby's in July of 2012. This beautiful machine is dated to around 1780 and was intended for a market in China with whom London had developed an impressive trade relationship. The piece was estimated to be worth £1,000,000 to £2,000,000 prior to the auction and found a buyer right in the middle of the range at £1.4 million.

A bejeweled whirligig spins above the animal. Below that, a figure of the Greek god Atlas, holds up a rotating sphere of the heavens. The elephant figure sits on a rockwork base inset with the clock dial. The automaton depicts an Asian elephant whose trunk, eyes, ears, and tail all move in appropriate ways. Below that, a small animated scene depicts falling water, tiny windmills, and spinning waterwheels. The musical movement, which will play a choice of six tunes, is hidden within the lower section.

[ Thanks Thomas! ]

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Vintage film explaining how a differential gear works

This film does an admirable job of clearly explaining what can be a rather confusing mechanical concept -- the differential gear. It's Tuesday, and you owe it to yourself to learn a little something. If you already know how a differential gear works, I'm sure you'll also enjoy the charming retro qualities of this film!

True, we normally hear differentials in cars, but they've had other some intriguing uses in the past. Take for example the amazing South-pointing chariots created in ancient China. A carved wooden figure standing in a horse-drawn chariot would point South no matter which way the cart turned or how often. This was done with a differential.

Here is where you can get a wooden South-pointing chariot kit!

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Music box discovered to be the source for two tunes from the opera Madame Butterfly

Legend had it that Puccini, composer of the the famous Japanese-themed opera Madame Butterfly, was inspired by melodies he heard from a Japanese music box. For over one hundred years, historians have searched in vain for the Japanese music box that Puccini heard. Musicologist Tony Shepard, on a recent chance visit to the Morris Museum in New Jersey, heard something quite surprising. Among the dozens of automata and mechanical music machines housed at this extraordinary museum, Shepard happened to listen to a Chinese music box. Something familiar caught his ear. A discovery was made in that moment. As research continues, it seems more and more likely that a music box now at the Morris Museum is the very one Puccini heard. Not only do two of the tunes match those in Madame Butterfly, the ownership of the box can be traced to the composer. Cryptic symbols inside the mechanism of the music box look like those often penned by Puccini himself.

The Morris Museum features an exhibition of over 150 pieces from the world-renowned Murtogh D. Guinness collection of mechanical musical instruments and automata.

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Wooden Chinese South-pointing chariot kit

Some time ago, I posted about the ancient Chinese mechanical marvel that is the South-pointing chariot. I followed up a year later with some video of a working model of the South-pointing Chariot. It's an incredible invention. Whichever way the figure on top was set initially -- usually pointing toward the imperial city -- it would continue to point that way regardless of where the chariot was pulled. It wasn't done with a magnetic compass. In reality, is was a very early (probably the first) example of differential gearing in history.

Given its rich history and marvelous design, I was thrilled to find this the other day: The Ma Jun Navigation Chariot kit, a 1/10th scale working model of the South-pointing chariot.

More about the South-pointing chariot kit:

Invented in 225 A.D. by mechanical engineer Ma Jun during the Three Kingdoms period, the chariot's differential gearing system provided solitary cardinal direction centuries before the magnetic compass. Romantically known as the "South Pointing Chariot," it is considered by antiquarians as one of Ancient China's most complex inventions, yet it's dragon finial will point in any direction to which it is initially oriented. Made from poplar, the kit's 37 pieces snap out from three backing boards. Detailed written instructions guides builders through construction with clear pictures.

The kit is made of Poplar -- a clear grained, fairly soft wood that is easy to sand and finish. To make the kit you will need some basic woodworking tools: a utility knife, a flat and round file, sandpaper, wood glue, and clamps. If you're looking for a place to get this stuff (or anything else), Woodcraft has it all! Highly recommended.

Here is where you can order the The Ma Jun Navigation Chariot.

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Master Po the Great Chinese Magician automaton

Here is a beautifully made automaton by Walter Zalewski. The piece features a Chinese magician doing a cups and balsl routine. The detail is lovely. The automaton is entirely hand-built -- figure and mechanism -- with hundreds of parts. Be sure to watch until the end of the video, where there is footage of the mechanism unclothed and moving. The mechanism is just a beautiful as the rest of the piece. Contact information for Walter Zalewski may also be found at the end of the video

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Video of mechanical south-facing chariot

I posted last year about some South Pointing Chariots -- an amazing mechanical invention from ancient China. No matter which way the cart turns or how often, the figure on top always points South (the cardinal direction of preference in that culture at that time). A magnetic compass isn't used to accomplish this task; the solution is entirely mechanical. Here is some video of a functional model made by the clever hands of Osamu Kanda.

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A Chinese master of junk robots

Back in 2007, an amazing story circulated around the blogsphere about a man in China who -- with no formal engineering education -- has created a menagerie of robotic creations out of junk. Among the most impressive is a robot-powered rickshaw (shown here) that can pull a passenger along.

Here is a link to a video of Mr. Woo, the Chinese Robot Farmer on Gizmodo.com.

Note: If you want to make some junkbots of your own, I've got to recommend the book JunkBots, Bugbots, and Bots on Wheels.

[ Thanks Charles! ]

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South Pointing Chariots, Ancient Gearing Marvels

South Pointing Chariots are an amazing mechanical invention from ancient China. From a distance, it would look like a figure standing in a horse-drawn chariot. No matter which way the cart turns or how often, the figure's arm always points South -- the direction of preference in that culture at that time. Seen here is a modern functional model.

So, what...it's a magnetic compass hidden inside of a figure, right? Nope. Ok...so it's a gyroscope of some kind then? That's not it either. These South Pointing Chariots use complex gear arrangements to adjust the figure's orientation depending on the motion of the wheels.

Here's a great web site with tons of info about South Facing Chariots. Of particular note is the functional models page showing working examples made from everything from brass, to wood, to LEGOs! So cool.

Thanks bhaaluu!