![]() ![]() More complete information about other devices is found in the writings of Heron of Alexandria (flourished 1st century ce), who described devices actuated by water, falling weights, and steam.Īccounts of automatons in China date from as early as the 3rd century bce, during the Han dynasty, when a mechanical orchestra was made for the emperor. The bird was apparently suspended from the end of a pivoted bar, and the whole apparatus revolved by means of a jet of steam or compressed air. Among the earliest references is to a wooden model of a pigeon constructed by Archytas of Tarentum (flourished 400–350 bce), a Greek friend of Plato. Automatons in the ancient worldįew examples of automatons made prior to the 16th century remain, but numerous documents record their onetime existence. At the other end of the scale are exquisitely finished pocket-sized objects such as trick pistols that were the specialty of the Rochat brothers, Ami-Napoléon and Louis, both of whom were among the finest 19th-century designers and craftsmen of automatons. They are mostly of fairly large size and intended for public display. The most complicated are the androids: figures in human form that can be made to walk about, play music, write, or draw. Through the ages, most automatons have been objects of fancy that are purely decorative in concept and function. Clocks and watches, which lend themselves to displays of motion, are the most common type of functional object with automatons. Some offer only visual fascination, such as spinning roundels set with gems to make flashing patterns of colour and light.Īutomatons can be classified into two groups: those that are ancillary to a functional article and those that in themselves are fanciful objects, solely for decoration and pleasure. Not all automatons, however, are mimetic. ![]() Some purely capricious automatons consist of complete scenes in which caricature personages perform in a humorous manner. A mechanical device can be used to make a flower open its petals to imitate blooming or to make a figure walk. Imitations of such natural phenomena as the moving water of streams and waterfalls, for instance, can be simulated with twisted rods of glass. The majority of automatons are direct representations of creatures and plants or of kinetic aspects of natural phenomena. In general, automatons are designed to arouse interest through their visual appeal and then to inspire surprise and awe through the apparent magic of their seemingly spontaneous movement. The term automaton is also applied to a class of electromechanical devices-either theoretical or real-that transform information from one form into another on the basis of predetermined instructions or procedures ( see automata theory).
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