Singular: au•tom•a•ton / Plural: au•tom•a•tons or au•tom•a•ta (-tə)
1. A self-operating machine or mechanism, especially a robot.
2. One that behaves or responds in a mechanical way.
History has taught us that the first
machines produced by man were the automata. They constituted the first step in
the realization of his dream to fly through the air like a bird, swim the sea
like a fish, end to become ruler of all nature. From these attempts to imitate
life by mechanical means, man subsequently utilized the principles involved to
produce the complex mechanisms which have resulted in the technological
advances of the Space Age.
Greek Automata: (Gr: Automatos -
'self-moving') When his writings on hydraulics, pneumatics and mechanics were
translated into Latin in the sixteenth century, Hero’s readers were amazed to
discover descriptions of inventions which included vending machines, a
water-pump, a wind-organ, and the aeolipile (the first recorded steam engine).
Although today the only surviving example of such sophisticated ancient Greek
mechanics is the Antikythera mechanism, it is clear that complex mechanical
devices existed in ancient Greece. Following the destruction of the Library of
Alexander and the collapse of the Greek Empire, most of the works of the
ancient Greeks were lost to us, and along with it, the art of automata. By the
8th century, the art made an official recovery in the Middle-east, with the
publication of 'The Book of Ingenious Devices', which was a large illustrated
work on mechanical devices, including automata, published in 850 by the three
Persian brothers known as the Banu Musa working at the House of Wisdom (Bayt
al-Hikma) in Baghdad. The book described about one hundred devices and how to
use them.
The
automata look like the creation of the modern world. These pieces (specially
the small ones) are intricate mechanisms that create the simplest movements,
human like movements, so soft and delicate. Sometimes I forget that I am
watching perfect androids, the more and more I watch them...they become real. I
can't believe that the automatons have been around for centuries! even B.C.!
During
the 1700 royalty and people with money started buying automata for their
parties. The royalty always needed to have the latest popular things, and the
automata were the IT things, they provided entertainment and music. As you
know, if the royals and the famous had something new, the rest of the society
imitated them. On the 1800, the automatons became more popular, they were sold
as souvenirs, toys for children and entertainment at local fairs, and they were
not exclusive for people with money anymore. The automatons were based on
common individuals, show business performers, fairy tales, etc. The characters
on which the automatons are based are varied, it just depended on the creator.
Enjoy
these wonderful videos ...
I'm sure I had one of those in a past life. I need one.
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