AUTOMATA
A BRIEF HISTORY...
“Canard Digérateur” 1739, Vaucanson
ANTIQUITY / MYTHOLOGY
Hellenic
Hero of Alexandria
Wind-powered organ
ANTIQUITY / MYTHOLOGY
Hellenic
Daedalus and Ikarus
ANTIQUITY / MYTHOLOGY
Jewish
King Solomon’s Throne
15th - 19th CENTURY
Maillardet
Maillardet’s writing automaton.
Restored at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia
Clip
15th - 19th CENTURY
Jacque de Vaucanson
Mechanical Duck that eats and poops
15th - 19th CENTURY
Von Kempelen’s Hoax!
15th - 19th CENTURY
Jacquet-Droz
15th - 19th CENTURY
Joseph Faber
“Euphonia”
JAPANESE KARAKURI
> Dolls / Figures that perform various
actions. Used often in theater and
tatami-room entertainment.
> Predecessor to Japanese robot
culture, etc.
> “Karakuri” = Designed to trick or
tease. Implies hidden magic.
JAPANESE KARAKURI
Tea Serving Doll
JAPANESE KARAKURI
Archer Doll (Yumihiki Doji)
Clip
CONTEMPORARY
Cabaret Mechanical Theater (UK)
http://www.cabaret.co.uk/exhibitions/previous/
Dug North’s Automaton Blog
http://www.dugnorth.com/blog/
Automata
Lab!
TRY IT OUT:
> Cut some wings out for the unicorn
> Design a mechanisms to make the wings FLAP.
> Feeling Ambitious?
Change the quality of the motion
(i.e. up slowly, down quickly...)
CONTEMPORARY
Arthur Ganson
http://www.arthurganson.com/pages/Sculptures.html