Mysterious spinning stone in this new automaton by Kazuaki Harada

Elegance and ingenuity meet in this new automaton by Kazuaki Harada. I should also mention that the piece features some lovely dovetail joinery and more than a little mystery!

See more automata by Kazuaki Harada on his web site.

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Chicken Head - a simple and realistic automaton by Bliss Kolb

Here's the latest bird-themed automaton form artist Bliss Kolb. Though the motion is simple, it captures the essence of the chicken perfectly!

Here is where you can see more art by Bliss Kolb.

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Insect's legs turn out to be the first mechanical gears found in a living creature AND similar to those on Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots

Popular Mechanics featured a story online yesterday that announced that U.K. scientists discovered the first biological gears on a living creature. The creature is a tiny insect is known as the issus, which lives on European climbing ivy and has an incredible ability to jump. As it turns out, the gear-like structures located at a joint on the insect's hind legs aid in that ability to jump. To jump quickly and powerfully, the issus relies on mechanics. The gears are thought to simplify the neuro-muscular feedback system that can slow down an attempt to move quickly. Because the gears are so well suited to transfer power properly, the insect's nervous system simply fires the signal to jump and doesn't need to bother with feedback. It shaves crucial milliseconds off what is often a life-or-death maneuver.

Now for MY discovery. I read the article with fascination. At the end, I realized the gears found on the insect's legs seemed familiar to me. I searched my brain and remembered where I had seen this arrangement before: the classic Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot Game! First, let's take a closer look at the insect's joint. As you can see in the animation, the two segmented gears meet at the junction of two body parts where one must rotate around the other. The gears engage to transfer a what I am guessing is a short linear force into a longer, faster rotational force.

Now take a look at the arm joint of this Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot. The elbow joint employs a series of gears to convert a short downward motion on the back of the robot into a quick jabbing motion. The assembly is a bit more complicated than the insect for it uses three gears rather than two. On the robot, there is a gear fused to the body at the shoulder. This gear meshes with a second one located on the inside of the robot's upper arm. This idler gear transfers motion to the final gear located at the end of the robot's lower arm. When the lever behind the robot is depressed, the upper arm is raised, causing it to rotate around the shoulder. This causes the intermediate gear to spin a bit. The advancing teeth engage with the ones on the lower arm, causing it to straighten.

My discovery may not be as ground-breaking as that of the U.K. researchers, but I will still gladly accept an honorary doctorate in engineering from any accredited college or university. Please use my contact form if you can bestow these laurels upon me. I would love to be referred to as 'Dr. North'.

If you want to learn more about biomechanics, check out these books on biomechanics.

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Mesmerizing large-scale kinetic sculptures by Lyman Whitaker

Here is a video compilation of wind sculptures in motion. The pieces were created by Lyman Whitaker. Based in southwest Utah, Whitaker has been a working sculptor for more than 40 years and is known for his kinetic sculptures. The tall, flowing geometric forms of Whitaker' sculptures stand out among the natural surroundings in which they are often placed. This is no accident.

From the artist's web site:

By placing the sculptures in settings dependent on natural elements for movement, opportunities are provided for participants to think about their surroundings. Lyman's sculptures are organic and natural like vegetation and are enjoyed best in interactive settings where they are viewed over time.

Whitaker's sculptures range in height from 5 to 27 feet tall and are fabricated from copper, steel and stainless steel. Weathered patinas provide the color pallet -- rust, brown, tan and green. Here is piece is a dramatic shot of 19 kinteic sculptures Whitaker installed for the Burning Man festival, in Black Rock City, Nevada in 2011:

Learn more about the artist and see more kinetic sculptures by Lyman Whitaker on his web site.

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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How do you say "Steampunk Fish" in Russian?

Shown here is a mechanical sculpture titled Ferrum Fish. The piece is made of oak, lime, copper, forge steel, glass, sea shells, and other materials. From what I gather, this mechanical fish and several others like it were created by a collective of artists that go by the name Art Mechanicus or perhaps ArtMechanicus.

Sorry I can't say more about this amazing mechanical sculpture. The site is in Russian. At least I think it is; I simply can't read it.

Whatever the language, there are more photographs and videos to see if you head on over the ArtMechanicus.com.

[ Thanks David! ]

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Mechanical wooden flower that opens and closes

Octalypseis a mechanical wooden flower that opens and closes when the base is raised and lowered. The piece is made of many beautiful materials including Redheart, Grenadillo, Avocado, Purpleheart, Canary, and Lacewood. Very nice, indeed.

You can see more photographs of this mechanical flower piece on the Creative Outlaw web site.

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Wooden machine that mimics grass in the wind

This kinetic sculpture, built by David Bynoe, is meant to look like a field of wheat blowing in the wind. It consists of 40 wooden poles, each about 6 foot high, that are connected up via a system of ropes to a pair of large motorized cams. The two cam turns at slightly different speeds, so it takes about 14 minutes for the machine to complete a full cycle. It's a lovely effect that shows how complicated it can be to reproduce organic motion and the beauty found in nature.

This kinetic sculpture is at the Truck Gallery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.The show runs from June 3rd-30th 2011.

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