Build seven different models using the motorized gyroscope unit in this kit

Gyroscopes are one of those physics-based things that seem to have an almost magical quality. You know...kind of like magnets.

With the Thames and Kosmos Gyroscopic Robot Kit, you can learn about this incredible device by building seven different models using the motorized gyroscope unit that comes with the kit. The models include a one-wheeled gyroscopic robot (shown above), a balancing personal vehicle, an artificial horizon, a gyro-compass, a balancing game, a tightrope walker, and a flight simulator. The kit comes with a 24-page illustrated manual, which provides step-by-step assembly instructions and scientific explanations.

Here is where you can get the Thames and Kosmos Gyroscopic Robot Kit.

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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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The Spinning Heart Machine by Martin Smith

Martin Smith is co-founder the design label Laikingland. He creates kinetic devices that explore a variety of themes. Shown here is the latest in a series of kinetic objects that celebrate love. As the handle is turned, two pairs of bevel gears cause the heart to flip and rotate simultaneously.

Materials: Steel, brass and plastic.
Dimensions: Height 33cm / 13”
Power: Hand operated.
Edition: 25
Color: Red, brass and patinated steel.

You can see more kinetic objects by Martin Smith on his web site.

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BusyBody - pose and animate a little figure in minutes!

Rufus Seder of Eye Think has just come up with this wonderful animation toy! You pose ten identical bendy figures a little differently in sequence. Then, when you spin the turntable you will see the results animated in the mirror rotating at the center of the toy. What a fun gizmo!

Here is where you can get the BusyBody Quick Pose Animator.

If you are into this type of animation, you might also check out this Praxinoscope available from Amazon. Not unlike the BusyBody, this optical device uses mirrors, paper, and a platform to create moving pictures. When you spin the platform, you can view the animations through the mask plate. It includes printed discs and blank discs for creating your own animation.

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Weight-driven rotating marble machine powers a kinetic sculpture

Check out this clever weight-driven kinetic sculpture. The marble moving through the tracks cause the box to rotate, which acts as as type of escapement.

From the creator:

The thread connecting the two weights is wound around a reel on the axis of the front part. As one of the weights is heavier, the front wants to rotate. Where the marble reaches the "bottom", there are two levers. These levers prevent the machine from spinning while the marble is on the track, and release the machine every time the marble hits one of them. The levers also work as a ratchet mechanism to allow easy winding up. The marble probably feels a bit like Sisypho

[ Thanks Felix! ]

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Variation Fractal - wooden kinetic sculpture by David C. Roy

Here is another amazing wall-mounted wooden sculpture by David C. Roy called Variation Fractal. Made in 2004, this piece is part of a larger series in which Roy continued to experiment with the patterns created by six overlapping wheels orbiting a common center, each holding a particular orientation by rotating in the opposite direction from its orbital motion.

From the artist's web site:

Variation-Fractal is the final design of the 2004 Variation series. In this piece I've been exploring the "reverse gear" effect that occurs at the center of the upper wheel assembly. I experimented with a number of forms before settling on the spiral form. I liked the way the "reverse gear" constantly changed form through the period of the motion.

Other works in this series of kinetic sculptures include Variation Fire, Variation Wind, and Variation Stars.

Visit the Wood That Works web site to see more kinetic sculptures by David C. Roy.

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Tumbleweed - an early kinetic wooden sculpture by David C. Roy

David C. Roy has been making his own unique style of kinetic wooden sculptures for a while now. Here one of his first. According to Roy, "Tumbleweed was one of the last sculptures I designed in 1976. I was looking for a way to create more rotations of the "pendulum" wheel before reversing." Unlike his more recent works which are spring-driven, this one is powered by a falling weight. But all of the classic David Roy hallmarks are there: beautiful wooden forms, spinning gracefully, almost silently, creating interesting movements and patterns.

You can see more kinetic sculptures by David C. Roy at his web site, Wood That Works

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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The Amazing Journey - a bicycle automaton with parallax effect

Automatist Keith Newstead has made many pieces featuring bicycles, but this one has got to be one of the most intricate and grand that we've ever see here at The Automata Blog. The automaton was a commissioned piece and is titled The Amazing Journey

Th Amazing Journey

Newstead explains the origin of the piece:

John Lau has asked me to make a different version of my automaton 'Brians Brilliant Bike'. He would like me to feature his wife, Vivien, surrounded by all of their pets. He wants the automaton to remember his wedding -- such a nice thing to do.

The depiction of the human characters, John And Vivien, is lovely.

The bold colors and menagerie of the animated creatures adds tremendous amount life to the piece. This is a video you can watch more than once. Did you notice the acrobatic mouse on the front wheel of the bike? The rabbit's swagger as it conjures? The gentle swaying of the snake?

Mechanically, there is a lot to take in: pulleys, belts, linkages, joints, rotating objects as well as the metal combined with wood. Most fascinating for me, is the extremely clever rotating background. By rotating several discs behind the scene at different speeds, Newstead has simulated a parallax effect with wood and paint!

As usual, the artist has some great in-the-making photographs of the automaton on his blog. Check them out.

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Video shows you exactly how to build a tiny electric motor

I won't need to say much about this video from hilaroad.com that shows how to build a simple electric motor because it is so well-made and comprehensive. The video shows you step-by-step how to go about making a simple battery powered motor. This is a great rainy-day project, party trick, and desktop conversation starter. I've made one myself and the results -- even though entirely expected -- are mysterious and somehow thrilling. You really should try this when you have 20 to 30 minutes (tops!) to spare.

The video also covers the basic theory involved in electromagnetism, which includes the disassembly of a small toy motor. It all makes a lot more sense once you've made a small motor of your own. Other versions of this simple motor have you strip the varnish off the wire on only half of one of the wires. This makes the jump to understanding the commutator a little easier.

If you feel like getting the various materials together would be a hassle, you can always spend a couple of bucks on the Simplest Motor Kit. This would be good option if you want to send one to someone by mail. Though the included explanation book is said to be confusing, if you use it in conjunction with the video shown here, everything should be clear.

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Wooden robot figure with changing facial expressions

Here's another creation by the extremely clever artist Osamu Kanda. The piece is titled Face. The body of the robot-like figure has a cube inside on which a small face is depicted.

When button on the front of the machine is pushed, a hidden motor causes the the robot to spin on its pedestal. Upon making a full revolution, we find that the face on the cube has changed expression! The figure has three different expressions in all. If you watch all the way to the end of the video, you'll get a small hint as to how this magic is accomplished.

See more pictures of Osamu Kanda's piece Face on his web site.

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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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Precise beauty: the engineered kinetic art of Anne Lilly

Here is a kinetic sculpture by artist Anne Lilly. Like most of her work, the piece is made of machined stainless steel. Though the pieces are finely crafted and sleek, they are not motorized; they require the viewer set the piece into motion via a gentle touch.

From the artist's web site:

Kinetic sculptor Anne Lilly uses carefully engineered motion to shift and manipulate our perception of time and space. Her highly ordered and precisely constructed interactive sculptures move in strikingly organic, fluid and mesmeric ways. Employing opposing modalities -- analytical and intuitive, rational and emotional -- Lilly's sculptures elicit new connections between the physical space outside ourselves and our own private, psychological domain.

See more engineered kinetic sculpture by Anne Lilly on her web site.

[ Thanks to Junkculture! ]

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Wooden robot lost in space - kinetic sculpture by Alan Westby

I posted last month about the wooden robot automata made by Alan Westby. I just received word that he's finished another in the series. This one depicts a poor robot hurling through space just beyond the safety of its rocket ship. Thankfully, most robots don't require air.

Note the clever use of two sets of bevel gears used to create rotation in two directions off of the same drive shaft. Well played!

See more of Alan Westby's robot-themed automata on his web site.

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Lone figure surrounded by tiny cubes driven by clockwork

Video of this kinetic sculpture made the rounds on various blogs some time ago, but I don't think I ever got around to posting it here. This fascinating piece is by multidisciplinary artist Levi van Veluw.

Each facet of the unusually shaped object is actually a door covered with wood veneer. When opened, they reveal a lone figure, also covered in wood and surrounded by small cubes suspended in air by thin wires. A lever on the base of the sculpture allows a hidden clockwork motor to be wound, while another sets the piece in motion. In motion, the seated figure slowly rotates, while each of the small cubes does too, requiring 100 gears total. Here's a shot of the mechanism inside the base.

You can see more photos of this automaton by Levi van Veluw on his web site.

[ Thanks Jan!]

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Reciprocating motion from an axle rotating on same axis

One reader of The Automata / Automaton Blog wrote to me with an interesting question. He wrote: "I'm looking for a simple mechanism to convert rotational motion to reciprocal motion along the SAME axis as the rotation, not perpendicular."

I decided to investigate potential solutions in one of my favorite books on mechanisms, Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements. Below are some of the solutions I found listed by the numbers that appear in my copy of the book (Astragal Press, 1995).

• 95. Oblique disc imparting rectilinear motion to rod resting upon its surface
• 106. & 107. Uniform reciprocating rectilinear motion produced by rotary motion of grooved cams
• 136. Crown tooth gear with rod pressed against rim
• 143. Sliding worm screw and toothed wheel
• 165. Circular to rectilinear motion via waved-wheel (or cam)
• 167. Drum or cylinder with endless groove and follower
• 237. Crown-ratchet (driven by crown, not pawl)
• 272. Beveled disc with follower on its circumference.
• 351. Partially toothed pinion and rack with return mechanism

I have probably missed a few in the book, and there are certainly many more possible solutions.

Order your own copy of Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements: Embracing All Those Which Are Most Important in Dynamics, Hydraulics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, Steam Engines...

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