Ichabod Steam's Animatronic Steampunk Band

The introduction to this video is a little long, but this band is well worth checking out. Why? Well, the drummer and bass player are automata!

Here is where you can learn more about Ichabod Steam and HIs Animatronic Steampunk Band.

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Fanciful steam-powered battleship model/sculpture 'Barnum's Dream'

Check this thing out! The piece is four feet tall and 51 inches long. Incredible.

From the video description:

Battleship train ship model with cannons and lasers that fire. It has many handmade moving parts that are driven by a live steam engine. The video is a depiction of it's first trial run, with some animation and effects thrown in. It was made from over 50 found parts and took over 2500 hours to construct. Except for the steam engine, which was modified, it is totally hand built using ordinary home tools.

Here is where you can see and learn more about the Steampunk Machine "Barnum's Dream".

[ Thanks Willem!]

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A pedal-powered steampunk flying machine automaton

I love the sculptural detail of this motorized automaton: the ball chain used to drive parts of the mechanism, and the illuminated dirigible. According to Falk Keuten of the excellent Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik blog, the piece is by Viktor Grigoriev from St.Petersburg, Russia's most famous automaton artist.

[ Thanks Christoph and Tom! ]

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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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A leather-clad devil rides a skeletonized two-wheeled hell hound!

Check out this recent automaton by Keith Newstead which features the devil in his biker persona. He comes complete with leather outfit, goggles, and the coolest vehicle imaginable -- a hell hound skeleton on wheels.

Here is where you can see more images of Keith Newstead's Hell's Angle automaton.

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Upgrade light switches with these clever mechanical add-ons

The father and son team of Lance and L. J. Nybye have come up with a wonderful line of mechanical add-ons for common light-switch covers. The mechanisms are typically cut with a laser from high-quality plywood and finished off with brass hardware. Additional decorations are engraved/burned into the parts with the laser.

From the online shop:

These mechanical light switches transform an ordinary appliance into the perfect flourish for your secret library, steampunk chalet—or wherever your imagination lives!

The mechanical switch covers install easily over a standard switch plate using the existing screws. In addition to the excellent lever-based switch shown in the video, they have a couple of other lovely designs.

Here is their one based on planetary gears...

And another design based on the rack and pinion mechanism...

Here is where you can get these mechanical switch-plate covers.

[ Thanks Jan and Julia! ]

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Video of a trick mechanical top hat by Dug North

When asked to write and article for my favorite magazine -- MAKE, I jumped at the chance. Editor-in-chief Mark Frauenfelder asked me to document how I made my trick top hat for their first-ever special Halloween issue. The entire issue is dedicated to Halloween DIY projects. The issue is rather awesome. I hope they do another some day.

A hidden mechanism inside the hat is attached to a bicycle brake cable and lever. Run the cable down your sleeve and discretely hold the lever. Any time the brake lever is squeezed, a monster pops out of the top of the hat. Because you can control both the speed and direction of the monster, it has some puppet-like qualities. By raising the monster slowly and only part way, it looks as if he is peeking out tentatively.

The image to the right shows the version that appeared in the magazine. A rubber finger puppet served as the monster until I got around to creating the wooden monster with articulated joints that you see in the video.

Here is where you can get a few more details on this wearable automaton.

P.S. I'll have this one with me at World Maker Faire in NYC on September 29 and 30, 2012

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Motorized mechanical beetle mounted with miniature cannons

Check out this amazing mechanical sculpture. It appears to be a metallic hybrid of an old war ship and a beetle. The piece was made by Russian artist Victor Plotnikov. I love it!

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Automata, kinetic art & steampunk artifacts at The MAD Museum

Here's a short video about one of the newest places to see autoamta: The Mechanical Art & Design (MAD) Museum. Located in Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire, the museum is dedicated to mechanical wonders of evert sort including robotics, rolling ball sculptures, and automata.

From the Video:

Think Health Robinson mixed with a Scrapheap Challenge and a hotchpotch of futurist mechanisms and then stir it all up with mind blowing creativity and ingenuity.

For those of you who don't know, Heath Robinson, was a cartoonist who came up with crazy contraptions similar to Rube Goldberg. That sounds a like a fun place to visit to me!

The museum's permanent exhibition occupies two floors of a building and a garden. They have over 100 mechanical devices on display to entertain, educate, and delight. They are open 7 days a week too!

Here is where you can learn more about The MAD Museum.

P.S. Someone you know will soon have a piece on display in the museum!

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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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Steampunk ring with realistic human eye that opens

Now here's some jewelry that makes a statement. I think that statement is something like "MY FINGER-EYE IS WATCHING YOU!" This unique ring is made of pewter in three different shades. Of course, the standout element isn't a jewel, but rather a lifelike artificial human eye. I'm not sure if there is any automatic component to it, but the metallic lid does somehow slide open to reveal the eye to the shock and amusement of all.

The product description is cryptic in that special Steampunk sort of way:

A surviving, stand-alone animated integrant of the advanced, life-sized android from the famous workshops of Ezekiel Rosenstein; C 1865. 3-tone pewter ring with opening eye-lid exposing a realistic, taxidermal eye.

I think what is being suggested is that the ring holds the eye of an automaton build by some person named Ezekiel Rosenstein around 1865. From what I gather, Ezekiel Empire Rosenstein was an engineer who invented the Galvanic Matter Transpositor. The work of this forgotten genius has recently been "rediscovered". OK. Good fiction. Good fun!

Here's where you can get the steampunk automaton eye ring on eBay. The seller is in the UK, so be sure to double-check the shipping charges if you are in the United States.

The ring is also available on Amazon as the Steampunk Automaton's Eye of Ezekiel Rosenstein Gothic Ring.

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Steampunk mechanical shark submarine model made with Legos!

YouTube member legobodgers decided to enter a competition in which the model had something to to with water and emphasized function over form. His idea? A Steampunk mechanical shark. Oh, and it's a submarine too (there is a tiny pilot in the shark's head). The piece is made from Legos with a lot of Lego Technic parts used for the sophisticated mechanism. Brilliant! I wouldn't change a thing. Well, OK...I would like to have it scaled up to full size and made water-tight so I can drive around it. But, that's it.

Here is a post about the Lego shark submarine on Steampunk.com.

[ Thanks Suzz! ]

Beautifully crafted mechanized Viking longship gone Steampunk

Feast your eyes on the meticulous craftsmanship invested into this kinetic sculpture titled Steampunk Voyager. The piece -- made of copper, brass, and polished steel -- appears to represent a mechanized Viking longboat. There are lots of juicy mechanical elements including hinges, rivets, flywheels, chain drives, pulleys, crankshafts, linkages, and a flyball governor. I don't think it is actually steam powered, but no matter; it is just gorgeous!

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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The Devil Rides Out, automaton by Keith Newstead

I always love automata by Keith Newstead -- especially the figures, metalwork, and insane vehicles. This brand new piece, The Devil Rides Out, has it all!

You can see some wonderful in-progress shots of The Devil Rides Out on Keith Newstead's blog.

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Victorian futurist's working monorail model

See that? I didn't say "Steampunk"! Crap, I just did. Ah, well...take a look at this cool working autonomous monorail set anyway.

From the monorail model description:

...follow straightforward graphic instructions to snap together the 550-piece construction pieces into one of three track configurations, or clever architects can assemble the versatile pieces into as many structures as they can imagine. The monorail locomotive has a working light and both it and the passenger car bear the hallmark cogs, portholes, rivets, and visible gears made famous by early science fiction writers. The elevated track can run as long as 20 looping feet over a 25' sq. area...

Here's where you can get the The Victorian Futurist's Monorail.

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Hand-cranked steampunk spider automaton

From the Impsandthings blog comes this awesome mechanical spider. The creator of this metal arachnid is trained as ceramicist and has been working with mixed media for the last ten years. This has lead to some really cool sculptures of well...imps and (steampunkish) things.

Here is where you can see one of Impsandthings' gallery of sculptures. Here's where you can see a second gallery of sculptures by Impsandthings.

[ Thanks Tom! ]

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The Waiting Hand by Nick Rayburn

Nick Rayburn is an artist who works with an assortment of materials including wood, marble and brass to silver, coral and shimmering beetles. He has started to make automata in a Victorian/steampunk style. Shown here is his latest creation, The Waiting Hand, which is a limited edition of 20.

If you would like more information or would like to discuss acquiring a piece you can send an email to: nickrayburn at sky dot com.

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Steampunk Style Jewelry: Victorian & Mechanical

I don't know why I am surprised to find books on how to make things in the "Steampunk style", but I am. I guess it is truly a mainstream thing now. Anyway, this looks like an interesting book on how to make steampunk jewelry.

A bit about the book:

This how-to jewelry-making book features the work of an array of invited jewelry designers influenced by the growing Steampunk trend....Each project provides a complete materials and tools list, step-by-step instructions, and clear illustrations.

Here the link to Steampunk Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings

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Incredible animal sculptures by Ron Pippin

Take a look at the astounding sculpture by artist Ron Pippin. Shown here is a piece entitled Solar Deer. Below is a detailed photo of the same piece. Wow.

See more sculpture by Ron Pippin on his web site.

[ Thanks Aaron!]

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Gakken's Stirling engine powered car kit

The other day, the Retro Thing blog drew my attention to this really awesome looking Sterling Engine Car Kit by Gakken.

From one review:

The kit has nice components. The instructions are complete (24 pages in Japanese). And, there are a whole bunch of tiny details to get lost in. The cylinder mount and the gears need to be carefully aligned. This is one of the trickier parts. If you have it misaligned, there will be too much friction for the engine to run. A gauge is supplied to make this step easier.

This and several other hard-to-find Gakken kits can be found at the Make Magazine MakerShed.

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