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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Giant onboard robot arm places wheelchair into the back of a stationwagon

Apparently, this video has been around a while. Somehow, I haven't seen it. In it, you will see a very large robotic arm extend out the back of a Volkswagen Passat so that the driver can hand over his wheelchair. The arm then neatly folds back up, taking the wheelchair with it! Creative, powerful, useful; it's an incredible system.

The video description says that the arm wa installed by Kino Mobility of Toronto. Their web site now redirects to one called MV-1 Canada.

[ Thanks Christoph ]

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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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Spring-powered stainless steel and bronze toy car with walnut box

Located in Eindhoven, designer Wouter Scheublin created this gorgeous stainless steel and bronze toy car.

We don't know much more about it other than it comes in an equally beautiful walnut box, is powered by a spring, and was made in a limited edition of 20. I don't know if any are available, or how much they cost, but his contact information is located on his web site.

If you like this, you might also be interested in the Kikkerland zeCar, which is readily available.

Unlike Scheublin's car, the zeCar is powered by a stainless steel flywheel which is connected to the wheels via a series of gears. A gentle push spins the flywheel and supplies the zeCar with the energy it needs to move. You can choose to have the traction be the front, or the rear wheels. You can also slide it upside-down on the flywheel and two free spinning wheels. Zecar is not a race car. It has lots of torque, and so can move up gentle inclines, but it moves rather slowly. It sells for a very reasonable $13 USD.

[ Thanks Adam! ]

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Video of flying saucer window display by Baranger Company of South Pasedena

Check out this rare set of Baranger window display from 1953 featuring a newlywed couple in a flying saucer. Baranger Motion machines were animated mechanical store window displays made from 1925 to 1959^* by the Baranger Company of South Pasadena, California. They were typically rented to jewelers and were changed on a monthly rotation.

Here is a link to a rare book on the subject: Baranger: Window displays in motion: dramatizing the jewel

Here is a link to an eBay listing for a DVD featuring many Baranger displays in motion: Baranger Studios Jewelry store Window Display in Motion DVD.

Key Dates:
1920 - (approx.) Baranger Studios commenced operations.
1925 - A new building in South Pasadena was completed. The company supplied static window display material to Jewellery stores.
1936 - A disastrous fire ended production of static displays.
1937 - Motion displays were introduced (M-1 Bridal Ensemble).
1957 - The final motion is M-247 Sultan’s Wedding March. A total of 167 different motions were produced not 247 - 250 as is often reported.
1959 - Founder Arch. E. Baranger died in December. Mrs. Baranger continued to operate the business after her husband’s death but no new motions were created.
1960 - Robert Gerlach, who was the designer of the motions retired in January following the death of A. E. Baranger.
1977 - In March the company notified its customers that the motion display department was closing. Customers were offered the opportunity to purchase motions in their possession for $350 each.
1978 - The building and stock were bought by Burton A. Burton. John A. Daniel was put in charge of repairing motions and selling duplicates. He became a collector of them. 1986 Daniel sold his collection of 90 motions to Teruhisa Kitahara.
Kitahara incorrectly states that more than 250 motions were produced but could only claim to have 101 different motions in his collection in 1988. John Daniel subsequently bought the remaining stock of motions from Burton A. Burton.
1993 - Daniel published a 60 minute VHS video showing 122 motions.
2001 - Daniel published a book showing images of all the motions plus a history of the business.

[ Thanks Thomas! ]

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Under-the-hood video of Colin Neu's "First Flight" kinetic sculpture

Did you see the video featuring the amazing kinetic sculptures by Colin Neu? Here is an closer look at one of the pieces featured. This one is titled First Flight. That beefy spring-driven motor you see at the beginning came from an antique gramophone motor. The video shows that there is some extraordinary craftsmanship going on here at every level. I think this sculpture may be as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. Bravo!

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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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Hand-cranked wooden biplane automaton by Timberkits

Check out this new wooden biplane kit. It looks like it has a nice compound action. It certainly is a good example of how to use o-ring material as pulley belts to transfer motion across a distance and to change the axis of rotation. For more detailed instructions on how to make belts out of o-ring material, check out Number 9 of of my Tips, Tricks, and Techniques article series.

The Bi-plane kit shown here is another great product from TimberKits, who offers an extensive line of automaton kits.

Here is another place you can get the wooden biplane automaton kit.

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Model car integrated into wall mounted kinetic gear train sculpture

Check out this new wall mounted kinetic sculpture by Brett Dickens. We're not unfamiliar with the his wooden gear sculptures, but this one has an interesting addition: a 1:25 scale model of a 1948 Ford Woody Wagon. The Woody is situated above a ramp, which is set into motion by the gear train. Once the ramp meets the wheels, the car goes for a ride.

See more kinetic sculpture by Brett Dickins on his YouTube channel.

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Working replica of Mercedes from 1900 is powered by a Stirling engine

It's wonderful to see so many great bbooks and plans on Sterling Engines. Likewise there is a huge range of working Sterling Engine models around these days. Some of the nicest I've come across are those sold by Hammacher Schlemmer. Take for example the beautiful external combustion kraftwagen model I posted about last year. I don't know who exactly is producing these beautiful metal models for them, but they state that they are made in Germany.

This fully operational model is machine-tooled from solid brass, stainless steel, and aluminum. Power is supplied by the amazing Stirling Engine which uses the expansion and compression of air to turn the engine. An alcohol burner in the rear fuels the engine. These engines are remarkably efficient: full burner of ethyl alcohol allows the engine to operate for up to 15 minutes. Not keen on the idea of running an engine indoors. No worries: the exhaust is just steam and heat!

Here is where you can get the Mercedes model powered by a Stirling engine

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Hayling Billy steam railway wall mounted automaton by Tom Bennett

The piece shown above by artist Tom Bennett was commissioned to go in The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre Havant. It is a working representation of a the Hayling Billy steam railway, which operated between Havant and the holiday location of Hayling Island on the south coast for 100 years.

From the artist's web site:

The principal aim of the piece was bring to life the history of the railway in a way that would engage the imagination, particularly the young. It was to be part of a larger project designed to explore the history of the borough by means of a timeline, videos, artifacts and other interactive activities. Operated by hand and with the sounds of the engine chuffing and whistling, the train moves from past to present in a landscape filled with local history. On its way it passes tunnels, bridges, a turning windmill ending up at the seaside with bathers jumping up and down in the sea.

You can see more photographs and read about this autamaton and many other automata on Tom Bennett's web site.

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The Wunderland - wolrd's largest model railway in Hamburg, Germany

Several people have been kind enough to send me a link to this video of a HUGE model railway. Though millions have already seen it, I think it's appropriate to post it again here in the name of completeness. So, just in case you somehow missed it, prepare to be amazed by The Wunderland.

From the video description:

The Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg, the largest model railway in the world, and one of the most successful tourist attractions in Germany. On the 1,300 square meter layout, more than a thousand trains, aircraft, cars and ships move about. A wonder of the world in miniature.

The Miniatur Wunderland includes an incredible level of detail. There are entire sections of the model that depict an airport, Switzerland, Scandinavia, America, Germany, Austria, and various regions in the Alps. Plans to add sections depicting Italy and France are underway.

Believe it or not, this is a model and NOT a photograph of an actual airport. Incredible.

You can find a lot more information at http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com. Readers of The Automata Blog might also be interested in the English section of their forum that deals with various aspects of model building and The Wunderland itself.

[ Thanks to Charles, Jarva, and others! ]

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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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Another contraption-filled music video by the band OK Go!

Remember that insane music video by the band OK Go in which a massive chain reaction accompanies the song? Well, they've done it again, only this time the band plays a much more active part. In fact, strapped inside of a Chevy sonic, they ARE the reaction in this chain of events as they drive the tricked-out car through a musically rigged maze. These guys are wildly creative and quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

From the video description:

OK Go set up over 1000 instruments over two miles of desert outside Los Angeles. A Chevy Sonic was outfitted with retractable pneumatic arms designed to play the instruments, and the band recorded this version of Needing/Getting, singing as they played the instrument array with the car. The video took 4 months of preparation and 4 days of shooting and recording.

You can learn more at Chevy's Let's Do This site and at the band's web site: http://www.okgo.net. My hat is off to you, gentlemen.

[ via Gizmodo ]

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The worlds largest and most detailed model railway

Check out this incredibly detailed and ambitious model roalroad. To call it a "model railroad" though is kind of insufficient because it depicts so much more that trains. Simply incredible.

[ Thanks Will, Bill, and Thomas!]

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The tiny Fairy Ship automaton music box

This tiny mechanical marvel is brought to us by Michael Start from The House of Automata. The tiny ship not only moves, but at one time also played a tune -- probably rising and falling notes coordinated with the ship's movement. The mechanism, dating to around 1830, would have been mounted in a case with a piece of paper or cloth serving as the rolling sea.

See more incredible antique automata at The House of Automata web site.

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Moving picture of a man in a flying contraption

YouTube user GrigorevViktor posted this video of a moving picture depicting a man in a mechanical flying contraption -- something like one Leonardo Da Vinci might have designed. I love the floating motion of the man, the subtle shifts in his posture, and the use of moving background elements.

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Humanoid robot riding a two-wheeled bike

Check out this video of a small humanoid robot riding a two-wheeled bike. No training wheels! I couldn't do this until I was about 5 or 6 years old. It won't be long now folks: there will be little robots dashing about all over the place.

It's a lovely piece of work all around. There is something charming about this one. When we ride a bike we are forced to move as the bike's mechanism dictates. The movements of this particular robot end up looking just like a human because the machine is on...well...another machine. It, like us, moves as necessary to operate the bicycle.

I can't tell you much more about this little bike-riding robot, because the site is in Japanese. The YouTube description says it was created by a Dr.Guero. Here is a link to the official web site for the miniature robot-riding robot.

If you are interested in small humanoid robots, you might check out Tomy I-SOBOT Robot -- a very capable (and funny!) little robot that many people are using as a platform for their own experiments.

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Automaton of a man with a walker & bouncing dog

Here's an amusing automaton to start your day. Titled Still Running, the man with with the walker and the too-high-shorts walks or runs at a good pace, a little dog bouncing behind. He doesn't seem to need that walker at all! The aumaton shows clean construction of the walker, figures, box and mechanism. It's also been filmed in a very clean workshop, I might add. Well done!

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