"The Usual Subjects" motorized automaton by Tom Haney

Check out this new handmade figurative, kinetic sculpture by Tom Haney. I love this one!

The piece took over 250 hours to make from start to finish. It features hand-carved bodies, heads sculpted from polymer clay, a scratch-built mechanism, and handmade clothes. 8 cams and levers control all the movements, which is powered by a 4.8 RPM synchronous gearmotor.

See more automata by Tom Haney on his web site.

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Staccato - a drummer automaton by Tom Haney

Check out the latest from automaton artist Tom Haney. This automaton depicts a performing drummer. The figure's body was carved from basswood and the head sculpted from polymer clay. The drum kit is assembled from a variety of found objects. Not only does the video show the piece in action, but we get a great look at the mechanism and its cams. There are also some really nice "in progress" shots of the piece.

Learn more about automata by Tom Haney on his web site.

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Reader Contribution: Ask the Great Magnus

Automata / Automaton Blog reader Les Clay sent a note via the contact form telling us of a recently finished project titled 'Ask the Great Magnus'. This the second unique automaton he has finished.

From the YouTube description:

Another automaton based on the mechanism used in the Climate Change Prognosticator. A color-changing LED lights the interior under the crystal ball, but its effect is not noticeable on video. The figure's arms are poseable to some extent. The head, hands and skull are sculpted in polymer clay. The skull glows in the dark. You may notice that the "future" can sometimes appear hazy — often falling between two symbols — a side-effect of the mechanism, which uses no gears or pulleys, and none of the moving parts are connected to each other.

Interested in making your own automaton? Check out the the Automata Books page, the Automata Kits page, or Automaton Plans page.

[ Thanks Les! ]

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