Applied Kinetic Arts

I have two Proxxon benchtop tools — the table saw and miter saw. These tools are of excellent quality and just the right size for an automata-maker or model maker. I have had my eye on Proxxon’s bench sander for quite a while. At long last, a good Samaritan has taken the time to review it on Amazon! I’m going to quote from that review here, because it is some of the best information I’ve found about his tool so far:

From one Amazon review:

After looking for a disc sander for model hobby needs, I finally settled down on this disc sander. While a bit spendy, the quality more than justified the purchase. I will have this tool for decades; and I’m not having to return some other tool. This is the first product I have purchased in quite a while WITHOUT a tag saying “made in china”. It’s about time.

I went with this model because of significant problems I’d encounter with all the other products available:

• All the other disc sanders were too big

• They didn’t have a slow enough “slow” speed setting, or no speed adjustment at all
• None in this size had a vacuum connection
• The other one from micromark had a foot-pedal from a sewing machine to set the speed (microlux)
• Low quality and difficult adjusting sanding table/gauge
• Overall quality factors

After receiving this product and trying it out, wow. This is a quality machine. It hogs out balsa and light ply at a crawl when I want, and eats it away when I want it to. The dust vacuum port is very effective (and entirely necessary). This is the perfect complement to my scroll saw. The table for resting the wood is firm, easily adjusted, precise and accurate. The variable speed control is extremely smooth. The silicone faced disc makes for easy changes of the sand paper. I am producing model parts at a very fast rate, I cant wait to get started on the next build.

The reviewer goes on to say that this sander is for specifically model and miniature makers. Don’t expect it to take the place of a 10 or 16″ disk sander for a full size woodworking shop. That said, the Proxxon Disc Sander is of a size and quality that no other tool in the category can match.

Here’s what the sander looks like when mounted to the bench in the other orientation:

Here’s a link to a lot more info on Proxxon Disc Sander.

Here is a film that was originally created as a school program back in the 1980s. The 8 minutes of film show the variety and complexity found in antique automata. Examples include magicians, acrobats, clowns, musicians, and the three masterpieces by Pierre Jaquet-Droz — the Musician, the Writer, and the Draftsman. Enjoy!

Check out this nifty “penny toy” acrobat dating to around 1900. The piece was brought in to The House of Automata for repair and is quite rare. I love how such a simple mechanism can produce such an enchanting object.

Here is a new piece by Tom Haney based on the Kahlil Gibran quote, “When I wrote on my door: “Leave your traditions outside, Before you come in,” Not a soul dared to visit me or open my door.” The motor-driven figure slowly opens the door, peers out, then retreats the way he came.

The piece is part of the 100 Artists Show At Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, OR. All the pieces in the show are up for auction and the proceeds will be donated to a local charity. The bidding is done by phone only. As of last weekend this piece was up to just over $1000. It retails for far more than that; this is a rare chance for those seeking to acquire a Tom Haney automaton. Bidding on this piece ends at 5pm February 24th. The number to call is 503-581-3229.

You can get more information about the automaton and see video of it in action on Tom Haney’s blog.

Here is where you can get more information about the show 100 Artists Show At Mary Lou Zeek Gallery.

Here is a wonderful video featuring an assortment of automata that are part of the collection of The Modern Automata Museum located in Montopoli di Sabina, Rieti, Italy. The film includes a commentary (in Italian) by the director of the museum about automata and his vision for the museum.

Learn more about The Modern Automata Museum on their website.

Magician Brad Henderson from Austin Texas recently spotted this soon-to-be released toy automaton. The SketRobo is a small robot capable of drawing with pen and paper. OK…so we’ve seen automata that have been doing this for hundreds of years. What makes the SketRobo different is that it can change what it draws based on what it can see at any given moment.

One model draws images stored in memory. Another model has an on-board camera and facial recognition technology allowing it to draw portraits on the spot. Now that is a new twist on this old theme! The SketRobo should be available in the fall of 2012 — retailing for around $60 for the no-camera version and about $100 for the one with the camera. It’s being marketed as a way to teach kids how to draw, but I think we will see it put to many creative uses.

It is a remarkable coincidence that a drawing automaton product should follow so closely behind the release of the film Hugo, which featured just such a machine. It seems we are as fascinated today by the idea of a drawing machine as they were 200 years ago when audiences first saw Maillardet’s drawing automaton. I wonder what he would have thought about the facial recognition technology?

Tinplate Girl made a special Valentine’s Day gift using the various metalworking techniques she demonstrates on her awesome instructional site. Tinplate Dad got into the act too. He made a small kinetic sculpture you’ll see in the second half of the video. Both projects incorporate tinplate, brass wire, a bit of wood, soldering, and mechanical fastening. No glue was used!

Here is where you can read about and see more images of these two tinplate Valentine’s Day projects.

Renowned automata artist Paul Spooner will talk about his work at the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society in Falmouth, Cornwall on February 16th at 7.30pm.

From the event description:

Paul’s career as an automata maker (“making mechanical jokes for people with short attention spans”) has included commissions for the Science Museum and Louis Vuitton, as well as a television programme, Mechanisms, on Channel 4. His work combines humour and an obsessive attention to detail with delightful and intriguing mechanisms. Every now and then, he puts together a dossier on his career so far and shows it to a group of people hoping that somebody will be able to spot any kind of progress or system. The last time this happened at The Poly was about eight years ago. Let’s have another try.

Here is where you can learn more about the talk by Paul Spooner and book tickets if you will be in the area.

Here’s a recently published book that provides detailed instruction on carving faces in wood. Written by the renowned caricature carver, Harold Enlow, the book is directed at the caricature carver, but is a solid foundation for realistic carving as well. The author provides photos and step-by-step instruction on how to carve some of those tricky areas of the face such as the eyes, mouth, and ears. In addition to covering these specific parts, a few complete example faces are also included. This book is a valuable reference that comes highly rated!

Here is where you can get Carving Faces Workbook: Learn to Carve Facial Expressions and Characteristics.

The Barnacle Press has posted a set of mechanical paper toy plans created by Dan Rudolph for the LA Times back in 1922 and 1923. The plans show you how to make moving toys by cutting out and articulating the parts of various cartoon characters. Shown here is an example of the plans, this one titled The Village Blacksmith. There are over 25 plans in all including sports figures, tradesmen, kids, and assorted animals. This is a great resource and looks like they would be a lot of fun to make.

Here is where you can get these free papercraft mechanical toy plans.

[ Thanks Brian! ]

Protected for years in its original shipping crate, this early 20th century window display advertises “Tiny Tabs Indigestion Tablets”. The mechanical sign features a clockwork motor that allows the center body portion to spin and the ball on top to swing. When the swinging ball approaches the upright post on the left, the string gets caught. The ball is carried around the post, wrapping the string with it. The string then unwinds, freeing the ball, allowing it to swing again. I’ve seen a clock that uses a similar principle as a regulating pendulum.

From the eBay description:

Measuring 21″ wide at the base by 29 1/4″ tall to the top of the spinning wood balls, this early 20th century, Advertising Automaton advertises for “Tiny Tabs Indigestion Tablets.” After some searching on the net I found that this product was made by the Peace Remedy Company, which was a small Brooklyn NY Company. There is very little on the net about this company never mind another advertising sign of any sort. The advertisement of a cartoon character, with a Tablet Body is very close to the “Speedy Alka Seltzer” character who came later.

The seller has a much longer description and a ton of interesting photos of the Tiny Tabs Indigestion Tablets mechanical window display.

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 ]

Here is a new article in Antiques & Auction News about the automata exhibition currently on display at the International Terminal of San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

From the automata article:

The history of automata (plural) parallels humanity’s undiminished and continuous quest to create an object that has the appearance of moving like a human or an animal. The word is derived from the Greek automatos, meaning “self-moving.”

The article describes the exhibit its relation to the Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments & Automata at the Morris Museum. The exhibit itself is open to all visitors, ticketed and non-ticketed.

Check out this great video featuring a selection of kinetic sculptures from eda taşlı.

Wanting to come up with a simple and inexpensive project teachers could use to teach their students some aspect of technology, Instructables user biochemtronics came up with this hand-cranked paper clip machine.

From the creator’s comments:

For educators this project is a great way to teach students the physics of mechanical machines including cranks, levers, fulcrum points, rotary and linear motion all while stirring their curiosity and developing their mechanical aptitude.

What he has really done is conceive of an inexpensive platform for building machines that requires some scraps of wood, paperclips, pliers, and a small drill. The result is not only educational but beautiful as well. Ingenious.

Here is the Instructable the hand-cranked paper clip machine system.

[ Thanks Aaron and Ron! ]

Check out this 10 minute segment of a longer piece by Ralph Steiner featuring classic mechanical movements. I haven’t cross-referenced them yet, but most can be found in the book 507 Mechanical Movements as well as the larger, but similar 1800 Mechanical Movements, Devices and Appliances.

Some interesting movements shown in the film include:
 • Counter mechanism
 • Gears engage on diagonals
 • Square gears
 • Variable speed transfer
 • Rotary to linear action with a 4 tooth cog

[ Thanks Gary! ]

If you happen to be in Cambridge, Massachusetts, you will want to stop by the MIT Museum which features an exhibit of Arthur Ganson’s kinetic sculptures.

If you are unfamiliar with Ganson’s work, he uses the elements of machines, found, and fabricated objects to create though-provoking interactive kinetic sculptures. The sculpture shown here, Cory’s Yellow Chair, depicts random yellow pieces floating in space. The pieces suddenly assemble into a small yellow chair for an instant before exploding apart once again. I could watch this for hours.

From the MIT Museum web site:

His sculptures explore the nature of oiled surfaces, object manipulation and slow explosions, and are created from a range of materials that he fabricates or finds.

Here is where you can learn more about Arthur Ganson and the exhibit of his work at the MIT Museum.

Here’s the latest bird-themed automaton from artist Bliss Kolb. Pictures for now, but video is on the way, so stay tuned.

From the artist:

The bird has six movements and sings a simple bird song. Still to do: the branch will be covered with paper mache and filled out with leaves. The bird, branch, base, and handle will be painted.

See more sculpture by Bliss Kolb on his web site.

This clock is astounding on many levels: complexity, beauty, and craftsmanship. What is perhaps even more astonishing is that it is only 25% complete! About 2000 of the expected 8000 parts have been assembled. The finished product will be truly incredible.

From the Youtube description:

What you see is about 25% of the completed clock movement in terms of parts count, about 2000 of a total of 8000 parts. This project has been in construction for about 1.5 years and has another 2 to go. Much of the most difficult subassemblies are done as the going train contained a large amount of novel mechanical concepts: dual remontoire mediated by differential, dual escape wheels, compound fly fans, compound going barrels.

[ Thanks New Gottland! ]

Here is a short documentary on the making of the amazing wooden village automaton created by Jozef Pekara from Rajecke Teplice, Slovakia. This giant woodcarving was created by Jozef Pekara over the span of 18 years. This huge, village scene uses 150 animal and 170 human figures to depict the history and traditions of Slovakia.

[ Thanks Les! ]

I don’t know much about this incredible automaton other than the title of the video, Slovenský betlém. The entire thing is wood, carved by masters of the craft. Everything in the village is animated: sawyers, farmers, farriers, cobblers, coopers, threshers, spinners, miners, weavers, carpenters, potters, vintners, washers, diners, musicians, worshipers, assorted animals, and children playing. I’m certain I missed many things too! Amazing. Beautiful. Just…wow.

[ Thanks Karin! ]

If you’ve spent any time reading The Automata / Automaton Blog, you know that an element of humor is common to many automata, especially the contemporary ones. This fact wasn’t lost on the creators of the book Humor in Craft. They have included the work of at least one automata artist, namely Jim Kransberger. One of his pieces is shown on the cover (the red-headed potter). Three others will be found within the book which can be ordered now, though it is due out in March of 2012.

From the book description:

What happens when professional craft artists are allowed to let loose – when they get to explore their mischievous and irreverent sides? Find out in this groundbreaking book, which, for the very first time, reveals an entirely different side of “serious” craft. Hundreds of images and essays from all over the world allow you to gain insight into the creative minds of contemporary artists like never before. A variety of traditional craft media are shown, such as furniture, ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry, and metal, as well as a number of unique, nontraditional techniques.

Here is where you can get the book Humor in Craft.

In case you’ve missed it, here is a video of a REAL Rube Goldberg machine designed to turn the page of a newspaper. The creator, Joseph Herscher, must have really studied Goldberg’s drawings because the ridiculous contraption incorporates, falling balls, flames, a tipped vase, strings, a flyswatter, a live hamster, and a dozen other household items. It’s very authentic, if I can use that term here.

Learn more about Joseph Herscher on his web site.

[ Thanks to Aaron Kramer! Also found on Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik ]

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.

I’ve done a few posts about sand-powered acrobat toys. The falling sand is caught by something that looks like a water wheel, causing it to turn. The wheel is mounted on an axle, one end of which terminates in a small crank on to which an articulated acrobat figure is placed. The spinning axle causes the acrobat to do all sorts of athletic-looking moves. The Junghans acrobat clock shown here works in a very similar manner — minus the sand, of course. This beautiful piece was restored by the mechanically multi-talented Kevin Wright.

See more restorations and original mechanical creations by Kevin Wright on his web site.

Check out this awesome new kinetic sculpture by Gina Kamentsky. This piece is titled Si C C señor!. See (oops, now I’m doing it!) if you can figure out why.

I love how all of the various found objects are integrated in this work of art. An assemblage of unrelated things not only seem to belong together, but move together in diverse and interesting ways. Just look at how beautiful the lines are against a wall:

See more kinetic sculpture by Gina Kamentsky on her web site.

Here’s a little video featuring The Electra, another clock designed by Clayton Boyer. Like his other clocks, this one is made almost entirely of wood. What makes it unusual is that rather than being powered by a falling weight, it is driven by a hand-wound electromagnet. There is a shot in the video showing the magnet wire being wound around the core with the aid of a hand drill. Here is a photo showing the ratchet mechanism that moves the time train forward with every full swing of the pendulum:

You can see more clock designs by Clayton Boyer on his web site.

Charles Penniman with the Maillardet drawing Automaton – © 2009 Dug North

The New York Times has published a wonderful article on the writing and drawing automaton that resides at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Like so many of us, The Times has been inspired by the new movie Hugo, which features an automaton as a central part of the story. The automaton, in turn, was the original inspiration for the one in the movie. I was lucky enough to visit the museum and see the automaton first hand in the summer of 2009. Here is my blog post about seeing the Maillardet automaton in person.

Created around 1800 by Henri Maillardet, the clockwork automaton depicts a young boy. It is capable of rendering four drawings and writing three poems in a beautiful flowing script.

The Times article highlights some of the key players who were instrumental in bringing the machine back to life in recent years. Of particular note is Charles Penniman, who has studied and cared for the automaton for a long time. Author Brian Selznick, creator of the Hugo story, was also important in reviving interest in the machine and bringing in the mechanical genius of Andrew Baron back in 2007. Baron was able to restore the automaton, which had fallen out of working order over time. We owe a lot to these people and the others behind-the-scenes who have preserved this incredible machine.

Though it is not set into motion often, the automaton is on display at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It remains a mechanical masterpieces and historical treasure.

Here is a link to the New York Times article on Maillardet’s drawing automaton at the Franklin Institute.

Here’s a fun little toy. When you push the button the little mechanical drummer figure drums in time to music programmed into the toy. Customers on Amazon seem to love it!

Here is a where you can get the mechanical Tiki Drummer toy

The Rocca Borromeo of Angera is located on the south side of the Alps.
Among many other historical treasures, some rooms of the castle house the Doll and Children’s Clothes Museum. A large section is dedicated to mechanical automata dating from the nineteenth century. All of the automata are fully functioning!

From the Rocca Borromeo tourism web site:

The Doll Museum is, to this day, one of the most important exhibition areas in Europe dedicated to dolls. As well as the prestigious items already exhibited, in June 2002 a new section was opened, dedicated to French and German automatons dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibits, which are true mechanical wonders and date from between 1870 and 1920, come from the Petit Musée du Costume in Tours, France and once formed part of the famous collection belonging to Robert and Gisèle Pesché.

Here is where you can learn more about the automata collection at the Rocca Borromeo.

[ Thanks to the Crandall family! ]

The Victorian Model Workshop designs and builds original mechanical figures, automata, and animated displays for private collectors and commercial customers. Take a look at the video to see some of their marvelous creations.

Here’s more information about The Victorian Model Workshop.

[ Thanks Karin! ]

The dates for KINETICA ART FAIR 2012 have been announced and tickets have already gone on sale. The fair, produced by Kinetica Museum, joins galleries, art organizations and other groups from around the world who focus on kinetic, electronic, robotic, sound, light, time-based and multi-disciplinary new media art, science and technology.

From the Kinetica Museum web site:

The fair provides an international platform for museums, collectors, curators and the public to view and buy artworks in this thriving and advancing field. Alongside the fair Kinetica curate a themed feature exhibition, screenings, tours, talks, workshops and performances.

Here are some amazing photographs from the 2011 Kinetica Art Fair.

Event: KINETICA ART FAIR 2012
Dates: February 9th – 12th, 2012
Location: Ambika P3 Marylebone Rd, London, NW1 5L
Web site: http://www.kinetica-artfair.com/

My latest installment of Dug’s Automata Tips, Techniques and Tricks has been published. While past articles have focused on construction methods such as how to make wooden circles or how to make a wooden head, this one takes a look at the power rotary tool, or “Dremel” as we often call it. I offer a number of tips ranging from safety to how to work with materials such as wood, metal, and glass. I also share tricks on getting the most from common accessories. There is a link to a chart that specifies which rotary tool bits work best at which speeds. There is also a link to an interactive bit-finder which helps you select the best tool for the job. I hope you enjoy the article!

Here is a link to Dug North’s article on 21 rotary tool tips and tricks for makers of all sorts. Here is where you can find previous installments of Dug’s Automata Tips, Techniques and Tricks.

Take a look at this amazing large-scale kinetic sculptures by Ben Trautman.

From the artist’s web site:

My work combines the languages of industrial architecture and organic forms using intuitive engineering and experimentation. Inspired by cities, bones, mechanics and the movement of living organisms, I build sculptures suggesting creatures that inhabit the crevices of industrial decay. I work with dual languages, mass and delicacy or solidity and agility. Architecture inspires and hosts my work, provides context and scale, mass to inhabit or solidity to erode.

With a studio located in Oakland, California, he has made mechanical sculptures for The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and The Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, California.

See more kinetic sculptures by Ben Trautman on his web site.

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.

Here is a fascinating video featuring the kinetic art of Brett Dickins. The video shows the parts being added to the sculptures one-by-one. When the sculpture is complete, it is set in motion. It gives you a real appreciation for the complexity, ingenuity, and dedication involved in making these wall-mounted kinetic sculptures. The chorus of the background track is quite apropos.

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

With the success of HUGO, automata have gotten a huge amount of exposure in recent weeks. But, as of February of 2012, HUGO won’t be the only film showing automata! Check out this creepy trailer for The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame. Like several of the automata seen in HUGO, the automata in the preview are also from the collections of our friends at The House of Automata who served as consultants for HUGO.

You’ve probably seen them: the bartender toy that shakes a drink, pours it, lifts it as if drinkings, smack his lips, turn red, then blows smoke out of his ears. I have one that I plan to fix. My question is this: how is that smoke produced? The end of the video shows the mechanism with wires leading into it. This suggests that heat from the wires burns a little something. But these toys have been around since the 60s and many still work. Nobody seems to recall adding anything to make the smoke work, so it has been there since the toy was made. What on earth could last so long? Is it oil or wax perhaps? I’d like to know! Here is what the assembled toy looks like:

[ Thanks Aaron! ]

It’s all too brief, but check out the lovely motion of this wooden mechanical bird. The bird is set in motion by pulling a string below (not shown). The YouTube description says it was made by Hans Happ (1899-1992), a German painter and creator of mechanical art toys.

Here is a beautifully made flying bird mobile made by Kenji Hayami. The sculpture depicts a white crane with a red crest in flight. The piece uses nice woods, an adjustable counter-balance system, and clever magnetic hinges. I wish I could see it in motion. I bet it is beautiful.

Here is the page with more info on the white crane wooden bird mobile.

I had heard of watchmaker George Daniels, mostly because I have been eyeing a certain book on Amazon for several months. The description and artwork in his book Watchmaking caught my attention right away. I did not know until recently how accomplished the author was as a watchmaker. Sadly, this genius passed away on October 21st at the age of 85. The facts within an obituary published by The Economist have left me stunned.

Daniels not only taught himself horology, but also every skill needed to produce a watch entirely on his own. He made the screws, springs, gears, hands and dials. He also made many of the tools used to make these things! In his 42 years of work, he created 37 unique watches and invented his own escapements. Here is video of his revolutionary co-axial escapement.

His obsession with precision led to the development of incredibly — and entirely mechanical — new watch mechanisms. This was no ordinary man, but rather the greatest watchmaker of our time.

Here is a link to the obituary for George Daniels published by The Economist.

[ Thanks Pete! ]

If you have a maker or aspiring maker in your life and they don’t own this book, this should be your holiday gift to them. You won’t just be giving them a book, but a fundamental education in machines and fabrication techniques that they will be able to use for the rest of their life. No, that’s not an exaggeration.

In Making Things Move, Dustyn Roberts explains mechanical design principles and their applications in non-technical terms, using examples and a dozen topic-focused projects.

Some of the topics covered:

• Introductions to mechanisms and machines
• Finding and using materials such as metals, plastics, & wood
• Basic physics
• How to fasten and attach things in a bunch of different ways
• Info on different types of motors and how to use them
• Converting between rotary and linear motion
• Using off-the-shelf components
• A wide variety of fabrication techniques
• How to have things made, if you can’t do it yourself
• A primer on Arduino micro-controllers
• There is even a section on automata!

This is an outstanding book with a ton of great information presented in a very accessible way. I believe it to be a classic-in-its-own time for makers. I wish I had owned it years ago!

Here is where you can order the book Making Things Move DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists.

Dick George Creatives provide creative manufacturing solutions for the film, television and the entertainment Industry. They were recently tasked with creating the automaton for Martin Scorsese film Hugo. They were not to build a mere prop; the automaton had to be able actually draw the famous man-in-the-moon image from early film by Georges Méliès. They ended up making a total of 15 automata, two of which could draw the image in real time without the use of CGI. They succeed in the task, using a very different solution than Maillardet’s drawing automaton — the automaton that inspired author Brian Selznick.

See more models, prototypes, film and television sets at the Dick George Creatives web site.

Christmas: The Pre-Reindeer Era

Over the years, I have made two automata featuring Santa Claus. Why? Well, he’s a great royalty-free character and one that seems tolerant to being modified. The first one I made (shown above) is titled Christmas: The Pre-reindeer Era. It depicts Santa in those early years before he could make the down-payment on that expensive sleigh with all those reindeer.

The second one I made was for a holiday issue of a woodworking magazine. Yup, you can get plans to build this Exercising Santa. The automaton depicts Santa building his upper body strength in preparation for the big night. This one is called Training for Christmas:

Training for Christmas

Here’s a new addition to the genre, but I didn’t design this one. The Dancing Santa was created by Shawn Cipa — an award-winning Santa Carver. He made this neat Santa automaton for this year’s holiday edition of Woodcarving Illustrated magazine.

Here is a link to Woodcarving Illustrated’s Santa Automaton page.

Check out this delightful automaton — one of several new pieces by Carlos Zapata — entitled Flying Love 2011. The carved characters and the winged heart make for a charming automaton.

You can see more new automata by Carlos Zapata on his blog.

The Hollywood Movie Costumes and Props blog has a great post featuring a number of photographs from an exhibit of items used in the movie HUGO. Among the items shown are the outfits the actors wore and one of the automata created for the film (shown above).

You can also see some of the props from the movie in person! If you can make it to Scotland, there is a HUGO exhibition now open at The House of Automata, where you can see props used in the film and gain insight into the making of the film from people involved. A very rare opportunity!

Part clock, part sculpture, The Time Machine is a mechanical clock that moves a set of chrome balls every sixty seconds. There is a track of accumulated balls to indicate the hour of the day and another two to indicate the minutes. There is a even a second hand on top. The clock has been around longer than you might think and was sold as “The Electric Wonder Ball Clock”. Here is a nice video review of the clock

It comes with a fitted acrylic display case that keeps the dust out of the mechanism and makes it look really sleek and futuristic. This modern version of an ancient method of keeping time is a great conversation piece, fun for kids and adults. Please note: because of the clacking of the chrome balls this isn’t a clock you’ll want to put in a library — but that’s true of most mechanical clocks!

Here’s the link for more info on the Time Machine Tabletop Clock

The long-awaited short film featuring the artwork of automata artist Tom Haney is finally here! Titled Boxcar Fair, the story follows a wandering explorer who discovers a magical fair in the desert. The film features the music of the band Little Tybee. Remarkably, the entire thing was shot in one take — no cuts, no edits!

About the film
Directed By: Brock Scott and Tom Haney
Director of Photography: Andrew Kornylak
Original Score, “Boxcar Fair”, Arranged, Performed, and Recorded by: Little Tybee, Mixed by: Pat Brooks
Puppeteers: Raymond Carr, Amy Rush, Mauree Culberson, Lee Bryan
Label: Paper Garden Records
Made in: Atlanta, GA

See more work by Tom Haney on his web site.

Here is a nice article on the man behind the machine in the recently released movie, Hugo. The film features a drawing automaton and this article goes into some detail about George’s inspirations for the figures that were used in the film.

From the Los Angeles Times article:

An automaton is a mechanical human being or animal that historically worked via clockwork mechanisms because it predated electricity and the electric motor. They were used by wealthy people as entertainment pieces that were brought out at functions, parties and gatherings. Ours had to appear to be gears that meshed together and clockwork drives driven by springs, although in actual fact there were 28 separate drive mechanisms and servo systems within the body just to perform all the functions.

He goes on to explain how they got the automaton to actually draw!

Here’s a link to the article on the prop maker who created the automaton for the movie Hugo.

[ Thanks Aaron! ]

Who said that saving can’t be fun? This mechanical piggy bank features a dog that seems to gobble up your coins. This is a clever use of a simple mechanism being used to produce a lot of convincing motion.

Here’s where you see a bunch of pictures and/or order your own Barkly the Banker Piggy Bank.

If Barkley isn’t quite your style, you might like of these animated mechanical banks:

No batteries? No problem! A company called Kikkerland offers a slew of interesting wind-up toys like the one shown here called Skidum. Like all of the Kikkerland wind-ups, it is part machine, part insect, part alien. Here’s a gallery of some of the other cool spring-powered mechanical creatures in this series:

Here’s a link to a bunch of Kikkerland wind-ups.