littleBits electronics kits -- an opensource library of electronic modules that snap together magnets!

Amazon has been creating lists of recommended toys for the holidays for years. I just discovered that they now have a specific STEM Holiday Toy Guide -- that's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This list is big!


Shown above is the littleBits Electronics Deluxe Kit. This is the biggest of the littleBits electronics kits -- an opensource library of electronic modules that snap together with tiny magnets for prototyping. No soldering required. Now that's a great idea! This particular kit features 18 modules. You will have everything you need to make something that blinks, moves, makes noise, and more! these are really clever kits and the have many different ones.

While this kit is the biggest, they offer many more exciting and educational kits. They are something like the SnapCircuit kits which have been available for a while, which also don't require any soldering. Check out the full full line littlebits and SnapCircuits kits. You can have completed electronic circuits humming away on the kitchen table before the plates have been cleared!

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Gift ideas: great books for the mechanically-minded

Have yet to find a gift for that mechanically-minded person in your life? Here's a short list of books that should solve all of your problems! Need more choices? Stay tuned for more in the coming days!

Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements: Embracing All Those Which Are Most Important in Dynamics, Hydraulics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, Steam Engines

Coming in as the top selling book by the readers of The Automata blog is Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements is a great resource for interesting mechanical solutions. It is an affordable book that can provide a lot of education and inspiration. The left hand page of each spread shows 6 to 9 mechanisms or "contrivances" as they were called, while the page on the right side gives a short description of each of the mechanisms and what it does. The mechanisms are presented in a concise, interesting manner. There is something compelling about the vintage line drawings and old-fashioned phrasing. I love this little book as will anyone who finds mechanisms fascinating.

Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists

Published in 2010, Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists is one of the most comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and fun books on the topic. Author Dustyn Roberts covers every aspect of making things move, from fabrication techniques, to motors, CAD, and Arduino micro-controllers. If your interest in kinetic sculpture includes more than wood and brass, this book is fantastic resource.

Number 8: Paper Automata: Four Working Models to Cut Out & Glue Together

There is no doubt that Rob Ives is a master of paper engineering. This glossy softcover book contains all of the printed color patterns needed to make four excellent paper automata: a pecking hen, a flying fish, three bounding sheep, and a bowing jester. If you or anyone in your life wants to try their hand at making an automaton -- and I mean right away -- paper is the way to go. You only need some white glue, scissors, a hobby knife, and this Paper Automata book. I've watched someone with no prior mechanical training complete one of these models in an afternoon. A gift of this book is like giving four kits. Priced at just over $10, it is a very good deal.

Creative Kinetics: Making Mechanical Marvels in Wood

In Creative Kinetics, author Rodney Frost provides a brilliant introduction to the making of kinetic art. The book does an especially good job of explaining the mechanisms that typically make up the core of a wood automaton: levers, cams, cranks, eccentrics, pulleys, and gears. The projects are fun and wildly diverse. You won't find complete plans in this book, but if you are interested in learning to make kinetic sculptures in wood, this book provides all of the fundamentals in a fun and easy-to-read way.

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Beautiful bird automaton kit with flapping wings

Shasa Bolton wrote from Tasmania, Australia to share the news of a new flapping wing automaton kit.

This beautifully designed kit mounts on a wall or table. Once separated from the sheets, follow the instructions and slot the parts together. No glue is required! This looks like a great project or gift that one can assemble in under 2 hours.

Here is where you can get the wall-mounted flapping wing automaton kit.

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Want to get started with automaton-making this year? Timberkits are the way to go!

Timberkits make excellent gifts for the holidays. Here's a nifty fish automaton you can assemble. I think these kits are the single best way to get started with wood automaton-making.

From the kit description:

Making a Timberkit is to step into the whole world of automata, ingenious moving models and scenes. It is an art form in which you can appreciate the magic of mechanical action and a fascinating education and hobby for children and adults of all ages. No special knowledge or skills are needed, just a little time and patience to follow the instructions. Assemble the wooden cams, push rods, levers and cranks and understand what makes it tick. After you have made the model you can paint, varnish or customize it in your own personal way then try another!

The natural wood is sourced from sustainable forestry and fully machined with no further need for specialized tools. The minimum age recommended is 8 years. Adult supervision may be required. Timberkits come in designs of varying complexity and a wide range of themes to suit all interests.

Here is where you can get the Timberkits Fish Wood Model Kit.

Here is where you can check out all of the different Timberkits.

[ Official Timberkits Web site ]

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Desperate for gift ideas? Here are 5 more great books for the mechanically-minded!

We are down to the wire in terms of holiday shopping. If you still need ideas for those mechanically-minded folks on your list, here are 5 more books I recommend personally. You have plenty of time to order them from Amazon in time for Christmas. Problem solved.

Eccentric Cubicle (Make: Projects)

Kaden Harris is one of those fascinating people who seems to know how to make just about everything. His skill and eclectic interests come across loud and clear in his book Eccentric Cubicle. Ostensibly, the book is full of projects for you to make for your cubical at work, but the book's title understates how badass some of these projects are. In the book, you will be shown how to build a working miniature guillotine, a small torsion-powered crossbow, a mechanical golf machine, a bass guitar built into a desk, a fog machine, a mechanical percussion machine, and more. The construction of each project is described in great detail; it is probably MAKE's longest book. As if that weren't enough, each chapter has a sub-theme that covers an essential tool, material, or fabrication technique. These alone could form a book that would be worth the price. The book is written in a playful, irreverent style, which makes for good reading. This thing is full of gems, and one of my personal favorites.

Building Wooden Machines: Gears and Gadgets for the Adventurous Woodworker

Among all of the books on how to make wooden mechanisms, two of the best and most advanced are the two by Alan and Gill Bridgewater: Making Wooden Mechanical Models and Making More Wooden Mechanical Models. Originally published in 1995 and 1999, respectively, they have become increasingly hard to find, especially the second book which now fetches high prices in the used book market. So, it was good news to learn that the two books have been combined into Building Wooden Machines. The new combined volume features 28 ingenious woodworking projects with visible wheels, cranks, pistons and other moving parts made of wood. Each project has step-by-step instructions and plan drawings from which to work. It does assume the reader has woodworking skill and tools, so this outstanding book may not be the best choice for beginners.

Making Mechanical Marvels In Wood

This book also features plans for 15 handsome wooden mechanisms such as the cam and follower, the Scotch yoke, the fast-return actuator, and the geneva wheel. Unlike Building Wooden Machines far fewer of projects in this book require access to and experience with a wood lathe. This makes it useful to a greater number of people. If you are a less experienced woodworker, or do not have a lathe, then then you'll want to chose Making Mechanical Marvels In Wood over this title.

Automata and Mechanical Toys

It is certainly no surprise to find Automata and Mechanical Toys on this list. In the past I have said that if you were to have just one book on contemporary automata that this should be the one. Both a how-to book and a showcase of the art form itself, this book attempts to cover it all. If you love automata, want see examples by well known automaton artists, and want to learn more about how to make these wonderful devices yourself, then this book is a must-have. Here is where you can read a more extensive review of Automata and Mechanical Toys.

Making Mad Toys & Mechanical Marvels in Wood

Rodney Frost strikes again with his book titled Making Mad Toys & Mechanical Marvels in Wood. Previously published as Whacky Toys, Whirligigs & Whatchamacallits, this book has long been at the top of my recommendations. This book features fourteen complete projects -- one of the only ones to do so. Each project has a bit of text, a photo, and many nice vector illustrations detailing the project's construction. I wouldn't call them formal 'plans' -- they are too colorful, assorted, and playful for that name. People determined to build an automaton, but short of ideas, are sure to find a project in this book that speaks to them. The projects have a wonderful vintage feel.

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The Unwelcome Dinner Guest automaton by Dug North has a new price for the holidays!

I've changed the price for The Unwelcome Dinner Guest for the upcoming holiday season. I've also decided to include one of the original pencil sketches I created when designing the piece. Here is a gift you cannot get anywhere else!

The automaton depicts a backyard scene with a picket fence, doghouse, and birdhouse mounted to a pole. Apparently the dog has recently been fed because his bowl is overfull with food. Sadly for the dog, his leash has become wrapped around the birdhouse pole and he cannot reach his food bowl. This situation provides the perfect opportunity for the local bird to enjoy a big meal, free of charge. All the poor dog can do is wag its tail, jump, and bark at the bird.

An article I wrote on how to make the piece was featured in a magazine called 'Gizmos & Gadgets' (shown at right).

Here is the page on my site the shows the video, images, and purchasing details for The Unwelcome Dinner Guest by Dug North.

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Video of flying saucer window display by Baranger Company of South Pasedena

Check out this rare set of Baranger window display from 1953 featuring a newlywed couple in a flying saucer. Baranger Motion machines were animated mechanical store window displays made from 1925 to 1959^* by the Baranger Company of South Pasadena, California. They were typically rented to jewelers and were changed on a monthly rotation.

Here is a link to a rare book on the subject: Baranger: Window displays in motion: dramatizing the jewel

Here is a link to an eBay listing for a DVD featuring many Baranger displays in motion: Baranger Studios Jewelry store Window Display in Motion DVD.

Key Dates:
1920 - (approx.) Baranger Studios commenced operations.
1925 - A new building in South Pasadena was completed. The company supplied static window display material to Jewellery stores.
1936 - A disastrous fire ended production of static displays.
1937 - Motion displays were introduced (M-1 Bridal Ensemble).
1957 - The final motion is M-247 Sultan’s Wedding March. A total of 167 different motions were produced not 247 - 250 as is often reported.
1959 - Founder Arch. E. Baranger died in December. Mrs. Baranger continued to operate the business after her husband’s death but no new motions were created.
1960 - Robert Gerlach, who was the designer of the motions retired in January following the death of A. E. Baranger.
1977 - In March the company notified its customers that the motion display department was closing. Customers were offered the opportunity to purchase motions in their possession for $350 each.
1978 - The building and stock were bought by Burton A. Burton. John A. Daniel was put in charge of repairing motions and selling duplicates. He became a collector of them. 1986 Daniel sold his collection of 90 motions to Teruhisa Kitahara.
Kitahara incorrectly states that more than 250 motions were produced but could only claim to have 101 different motions in his collection in 1988. John Daniel subsequently bought the remaining stock of motions from Burton A. Burton.
1993 - Daniel published a 60 minute VHS video showing 122 motions.
2001 - Daniel published a book showing images of all the motions plus a history of the business.

[ Thanks Thomas! ]

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Reader submission: Automaton of stork delivering a baby

I haven't posted a reader submission in far too long! For July 4th 2012, let's celebrate the birth of The United States with this lovely piece. The automaton shown here, depicting a stork delivering a baby, was made by one of our readers to celebrate the birth of his niece in February of this year. It is his first automaton. It turned out very well! If it was a gift, I am certain the new parents are delighted.

Dave didn't tell me if he referenced any books to make this piece, but here is a very short list of recommended books about automata-making. There is also a longer list of automata and mechanical reference books in the resources section of my web site.

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Mechanical toy gift idea #3 - Modern wind-ups

No batteries? No problem! A company called Kikkerland offers a slew of interesting wind-up toys like the one shown here called Skidum. Like all of the Kikkerland wind-ups, it is part machine, part insect, part alien. Here's a gallery of some of the other cool spring-powered mechanical creatures in this series:

Here's a link to a bunch of Kikkerland wind-ups.

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