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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A gear-driven wooden machine creates intricate swirl drawings

Do any of you out there remember the Spirograph drawing toy? The "Cycloid Drawing Machine" shown in the video is like its cooler big brother. Various wooden gear and linkage combinations are used to produce a huge array of different drawings.

The drawings are also kind of a neat way to study the output motion resulting from different gear and linkage combinations. I love that it is hand-cranked. The machine is all wood and looks to be very well made.

The Cycloid Drawing Machine is currently a Kickstarter project seeking funding. There are two funding reward levels, both of which get the backer one of these nifty machines. Here is the Kickstarter page for Cycloid Drawing Machine.

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This mechanical watch shows the moving of the planets around the sun in miniature

Check out this unbelievable watch -- The magnificent Complication Poétique Midnight Planétarium -- which displays a tiny model of the solar system on your wrist. The watch shows representations of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The version without the diamonds will set you back $274,613 in U.S. dollars. The one with diamond is about $366,101!

An article on the watch may be viewed here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2548017/Forget-smartwatches-wear-150-000-PLANETARIUM-wrist.html#ixzz3VsKzrlM3

To learn more about this fascinating craft, I recommend Watchmaking by George Daniels. The book follows the making of the precision timekeeper, step by step, and is illustrated at each stage with line drawings and brief explanatory captions. The text is easy to follow and to not overly technical.

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Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination

Due out late in February of 2011 is a most intriguing book by Minsoo Kang entitled Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination. The book explores the Western world's fascination with automata in order to better understand ourselves as humans.

From the book's press release:

Kang tracks the first appearance of the automaton in ancient myths through the medieval and Renaissance periods, marks the proliferation of the automaton as a central intellectual concept in the Scientific Revolution and the subsequent backlash during the Enlightenment, and details appearances in Romantic literature and the introduction of the living machine in the Industrial Age. He concludes with a reflection on the destructive confrontation between humanity and machinery in the modern era and the reverberations of the humanity-machinery theme today.

That is an impressive scope of inquiry! This book is sure to be a fascinating read for anyone interested in automata.

Here is where you can get the book: Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: The Automaton in the European Imagination.

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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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Snap Circuits Extreme 750 with computer interface: The best way to learn electronics?

Snap Circuits Extreme is Elenco's largest set of snap-together circuits featuring 750 experiments -- including 73 computer interface experiments. The kit covers electromagnets, strobe lights, transistor AM Radio, solar power, and vibration switches in addition to all the other experiments included in their smaller kits such as the SC-100, SC-300, and SC-500.

Here's the link to Elenco Electronics Snap Circuits Extreme SC-750

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'AUTÓMATA' movie explores what life might be like in the not-too-distant future

With a name like AUTÓMATA I am almost obligated to post news of this upcoming movie. Clearly, it's borrowing some of its major themes from Asimov's classic novel titled I, Robot. One also catches the scent of Blade Runner. Still, the trailer does look exciting.

A synopsis from the film's official web site:

Fast forward fifty years into the future, planet earth is in the midst of gradual desertification. Mankind struggles to survive as the environment deteriorates and the slow regression of the human race begins in AUTÓMATA. On the brink of life and the reality of death, technology combats the prevailing uncertainty and fear with the creation of the first quantum android, the Automata Pilgrim 7000. Designed to bring support to society's plight, man and robot reveal what it means to co-exist in a culture defined by human nature.

The descent of civilization is juxtaposed by the rise of ROC, the corporation at the helm of robotic intelligence. Despite the demise of humanity, the company has set forth security protocols to ensure mankind always maintains control over the manufactured population.As ROC insurance agent, Jacq Vaucan (Antonio Banderas) routinely investigates cases and complaints surrounding defective androids, he begins to uncover the secrets behind who is really manipulating the Automata Pilgrim 7000. Jacq's own suspicions propel the mystery — uncovering a truth that is far more complex than the make or model of any machine.

Here is where you can learn more about the upcoming film, AUTÓMATA.

[ Thanks Glenn! ]

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Ingenius and elegant attempt at creating a perpetual motion machine

The sound of the ball on the track immediately satisfied me that there is friction in this system and thus cannot run indefinitely. Still, it appears to be remarkably efficient and the ingenuity is undeniable. The combination of a metal ball, magnets, a gimbaled rack and multiple pendulums is not something I've ever seen before.

This remarkable piece was made by artist Reidar Finsrud.

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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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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The wooden mechanism secrets of master clockmaker John Harrison

If you've read the book Longitude, you know that John Harrison was the man who created a clock capable of telling very accurate time while on a ship at sea. To accomplish this very difficult task, he develop many innovations. The video shown here uses a replica long case clock (commonly called a "Grandfather clock") to show the innovative elements of the wooden clock movement. Most of these new features have to do with reducing friction, minimizing the effects of temperature and humidity, and reducing wear. Worth noting are the use of the grasshopper escapement, Lignum Vitae bearings, a novel pinion design in which the trundles rotate, and adding gear teeth to a circular blank to ensure that each tooth is as strong as possibe.

For more on John Harrison, check out Dava Sobel's book, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time.

Better still perhaps is the one with pictures titled, The Illustrated Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

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The Aetherologist - interactive automaton from a past that never was

Check out this amazing project by Brett King inspired in part by the works of Henri Maillardet and Thomas Kuntz. It's an automaton and an interactive performance all in one. The multimedia piece has a well-developed back-story which makes for a rich and intriguing experience for the viewer.

The artist explains:

The Aetherologist is an interactive steampunk exhibit that demonstrates the power of the aether as a communications medium. It includes an automaton which gathers information about the time and temperature around the world and an Aetherscope for direct viewing of events around the world. The idea behind the video is that the Aetherologist might have been exhibited at something like the Chicago World's Fair in 1934. I imagined "the aether" being the way that internet was developed in an alternate reality.

Using both found and constructed elements, the automaton took just over 4 months to build. The found objects incorporated into the piece include a working bakelite radio, microphone, magnifying glass, brass mask, and prism.

King intends to create a carrying case so that he can take The Aetheriologist to various Steampunk and maker conventions, such as ConTemporal.

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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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3D video animation clearly shows the workings of the Antikythera Mechanism

Have you heard of the Antikythera Mechanism? If so, you will enjoy this beautifully done 3D animation that shows its component parts and functions.

If you haven't heard of the the Antikythera Mechanism, it is an ancient artifact currently housed in the Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The mechanism is a thin metal object that was found by divers in the wreckage of a ancient Roman ship off the coast of Greece in 1900. It was clearly a sophisticated instrument of some kind with a surprisingly modern style gear train. That alone was a startling discovery, but the exact purpose of the machine remained a mystery for a long time.

Recent studies, advances in imaging technology, and painstaking reproductions have led scholars to believe that the device was a form of mechanical computer. The elaborate gear train was used to calculate the movements of stars and planets for points in the past and the future with great accuracy. Scientists and scholars believe it was build around 87 B.C. -- making it one of the most sophisticated ancient devices in existence. According to an article on the Antikythera Mechanism in the journal Nature, its mechanical sophistication would see no equal until mechanical clocks appeared in western Europe in the fourteenth century.

For a more complete story of the Antikythera Mechanism, check out the book Decoding the Heavens: A 2,000-Year-Old Computer--and the Century-long Search to Discover Its Secrets.

[ Thanks Joseph! ]

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Engino's mechanical toy system teaches the physics of pulleys

I've done short posts in the past about the Engino Toy System. The system uses a variety of cool multi-faceted rods and connectors that are designed to be connected on up to 6 sides at the same time.

Previous posts include educational sets focusing on gears, cams, and linkages. These seemed like good choices because they are indispensable to automata making. The set shown here focuses on pulleys -- another very hand mechanical device for automata making!

From the product description:

Learn how pulleys can be used to transfer force with reduced friction and how to increase force or speed at amazing levels. Build 5 working models including an oil drill, a stationary bike, cranes, bridges and a machine blender.

A 40 page book is included with the set providing experiment ideas and detailed explanations of the different technological principles involved in pulleys.

Here's where you can get Engino Mechanical Science: Pulleys.

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Dug North Automata at Boston area Mini Maker Faire, April 20th 2012

I'm thrilled to be one of the exhibitors at the Boston-area Cambridge Mini Maker Faire to be held this Friday, April 20th. The Mini Maker Faire this year will be coordinating with the Cambridge Science Festival and their Carnival event.

I'll be bringing a bunch of carved figures, prototypes, and finished wood automata. You will also be able to see videos of my other work. Come turn a crank, ask me about good books on mechanical things, and hear about how I got on the Blu-ray release of Hugo. If you get there early, the kids (old and young) can score a nifty Dug North Automata sticker.

This recent video profile of me shows most of the pieces you will be able to see in person at the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire:

Cambridge Mini Maker Faire Details:
Date: Friday, April 20
Time: 12:00PM to 4:00PM
Where: Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, tennis courts
Cost: Admission to the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire is free!

See you there!

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Levitron Revolution Platform will levitate small objects for display

Got a small item you would like to show off in the most futuristic of ways? The Levitron Revolution makes levitating display objects possible! It can hold an object up to 13 ounces in mid-air and illuminates it from below(always dramatic) with 4 white accent LED spotlights. For the added sci-fi effect, the objects continuously revolve in space. Got any ideas? We would love to hear them!

Here is where you can get the Levitron Revolution Platform.

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Engino mechanical science toy series: Linkages

Here is another toy in Engino's series of toys that teach mechanical principles. These are the folks that created the set on cams and cranks. The Engino toy system is a construction toy made up of of multi-faceted rods and connectors that can be connected on up to 6 sides at the same time. The design allows dense or open construction methods, simple or complex models, and the need for a smaller number of different components than other three dimensional building systems. Linkages seem like an idea application.

From the toy description:

Engino Mechanical Science: Linkages. This Engino set introduces young engineers and physicists the concept of linking levers to connect to moving parts for complex motion. Build 6 working models including a mechanical, extendable arm, a lifting platform, a pantograph, a folding ladder, a parallel weighing scale and a moving toy. A 40 page activity book is included with innovative experiments and detailed explanations of various technical and scientific principles and how they are applied.

Here is where you can get the linkages experiment set.

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New wooden orrery by Dave Goodchild

Dave Goodchild of Norfolk, England designs and makes orreries -- mechanical models of the solar system. What is particularly remarkable is that he uses wood as the primary material. The video above is a close up view of his latest piece. This model, like all of his work, is stunning.

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Book on Easy-to-Make Old-Fashioned Toys

Dover does it again with this book on how to make old-fashioned toys. The book includes instructions on how to make the following toys:
  • Thaumatrope
  • Kite-ferry
  • Phantascope
  • Tumbling Acrobat
  • Marble Maze
  • Jumping Jack
  • Kaleidoscope
  • Miniature Boomerang
  • Pinwheel
  • Helicopter-Parachute
  • Aeolian Top
  • Jacob's Ladder
  • Periscope
  • Floating Ball
  • Bubble blowers
...and many more! The book shows how to make 38 different toys in all, many of which demonstrate a scientific principle.

Here is where you can get Easy-to-Make Old-Fashioned Toys

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Build and operate a Darth Vader robotic arm

You may not know this but automata and artificial limbs have shared a long history. It seems only fitting that this relationship would continue to the present day and even into our notions of the future -- science fiction. Shown here is a robotic arm toy that replicates Darth Vader's artificial arm.

The Darth Vader Robotic Arm is a kit that snaps together. It includes the stand with built-in controls. The arm is capable of gripping hand holding lightweight objects. Most surprisingly, no batteries are required!

Be sure to read the positive reviews for tips on how to assemble the arm so that it does all that it supposed to do.

Here is a link to the Star Wars Science - Darth Vader Robotic Arm.

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