Automaton

Anautomaton is any moving mechanical object that performs a predetermined function based on programmed instructions. More often than not, the term is used in reference to mechanical devices designed to resemble living things and mimic lifelike movements and actions. Such automatons, which have a long history that stretches as far back as ancient Greece, are typically designed to appear as if they are moving independently. During the height of their popularity between the eighteenth and early twentieth centuries, a wide array of automatons resembling humans and animals were constructed and displayed around the world. They were capable of performing a variety of simple tasks, such as writing or playing music. Although quite limited in terms of their abilities, automatons often captured people's imaginations. They were a key source of inspiration that eventually led to the development of modern computers and robots.

Background

Automatons are objects of fancy, designed to evoke a sense of awe and wonder through their charming visual appeal and their seemingly magical movements. Most automatons created throughout history have been mechanical representations of humans or animals that, in some way, mimic the natural movements and functions of real people or creatures. They often appeared as though they were living things that were moving and performing tasks independently, but automatons were little more than rudimentary machines that were mechanically programmed to reproduce a series of simple movements. Functionally, most early automatons relied on clockwork mechanisms to operate. Clockwork mechanisms were mechanical systems that could produce motion by converting stored potential energy into kinetic energy with the use of a key, a spring, and a network of gears. In such systems, the key is wound to tighten the spring and store potential energy within. When that potential energy is released, it is converted into kinetic energy that turns the gears and allows the automaton to move.

From a functional standpoint, automatons can be grouped into two main categories: those that are secondary to another practical device and those that stand on their own and serve only as whimsical objects with no useful purpose. Automatons that fall into the former category are usually decorative additions to a more important device with a clear practical function. Among the most common examples of this type of automaton are the moving mechanical figures that are sometimes included as part of elaborately designed clocks. These automatons serve no real purpose other than as decoration, but the clocks on which they are featured provide people with a way of telling time. Automatons grouped in the second category are independent devices that are exclusively decorative in function. While these automatons may be capable of actions such as writing, playing music, or drawing pictures, they serve no practical purpose beyond providing entertainment. The majority of automatons, including most of the best-known automatons created throughout history, fall into this latter category.

Overview

Humans have been fascinated by automatons for centuries. The earliest known automatons were created by the ancient Greeks, though there are no surviving examples. Possessing superior engineering skills, the Greeks were able to design and build simple automatons, including a wooden dove automaton that mimicked flight with the use of compressed air. Constructed by respected philosopher, mathematician, and politician Archytas of Tarentum, the dove was one of the first automatons described in historical accounts. The Greek mathematician Hero of Alexandria also created several automatons. His inventions included a water basin that featured mechanical birds that would sing and an owl that would turn its head to silence them.

The development of automatons continued through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. In the Arab world, Muslim thinker Al-Jazari created several memorable automatons during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Along with a mechanized wine servant that could pour a glass of wine and mix it with an appropriate amount of water, Al-Jazari's most notable achievement was a floating, water-powered automaton orchestra that could play preselected songs while sailing around a lake with the help of several mechanical rowers. In Europe, famed inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci also took an interest in automatons, designing a mechanical armored knight that was intended to be able to sit, stand, lift its visor, turn its head, and more. While it remained unclear if da Vinci ever actually built it himself, a NASA roboticist successfully reconstructed a working version of the knight in 2002. Another well-known Renaissance automaton was The Mechanical Monk, a mechanized model of a monk that could mimic walking and move its head, eyes, and lips. The monk was created in the 1560s by inventor Juanelo Turriano.

Many of the most intricate and widely known automatons were created between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. One of the first and most unusual automatons built during this period was a mechanical duck crafted by French engineer Jacques Vaucanson in the early seventeenth century. Rather than simply walking or quacking, Vaucanson's duck could eat and "digest" seeds before excreting them. Although the digestion was little more than an elaborate trick, the duck proved that it was possible to mechanically recreate complex bodily processes. In the 1760s, Swiss inventor Pierre Jaquet-Droz built a trio of highly detailed automatons called The Writer, The Draughtsman, and The Musician. In addition to mimicking human appearance and movement, each automaton could carry out a specific task—writing a letter, drawing a picture, and playing an organ. In 1773, inventors James Cox and John Joseph Merlin created The Silver Swan, a mechanical swan that floated on what looked like a bubbling brook and could bend its neck and open its bill to eat a swimming fish. Swiss inventor Henri Maillardet built The Draughtsman-Writer around 1800. This intricate automaton, which was designed to resemble a young man, was programmed to write a series of poems and draw several pictures. Although it was damaged in a fire, The Draughtsman-Writer eventually found its way to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it remained on display.

Due to rising costs, the production of automatons mostly came to an end around the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The influence of automatons continued, however, and played an important role in the emergence of modern technological marvels like the computer and the robot.

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