Automaton | Can’t Sleep? Learn About Early Robots

Automata have fascinated people for thousands of years. This episode explores the history of self-operating mechanical devices, from ancient myths and early engineering experiments to elaborate clockwork creations that could write, draw, play music, and imitate life itself. Often considered the ancestors of modern robots, these remarkable machines inspired wonder long before the invention of electricity. Along the way, you’ll hear about inventors, royal collections, mechanical birds, programmable machines, and humanity’s long-standing fascination with building objects that appear to move on their own.

It’s steady and consistent, with no whispering and no sudden changes, just enough to give your mind something to follow as you wind down. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast, Where I help you drift off one fact at a time. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster, And today's episode is about Automaton. An automaton is a relatively self-operating machine or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, Such as bell strikers and mechanical clocks, Are designed to give the illusion to the casual observer that they are operating under their own power or will, Like a mechanical robot. The term has long been commonly associated with automated puppets that resemble moving humans or animals, Built to impress and or to entertain people. Animatronics are a modern type of automata with electronics, Often used for the portrayal of characters or creatures in films and in theme park attractions. The word automaton is the latinization of the ancient Greek automaton, Which means acting of one's own will. It was first used by Homer to describe an automatic door opening, Or automatic movement of wheeled tripods. It is more often used to describe non-electronic moving machines, Especially those that have been made to resemble human or animal actions, Such as the jacks on old public striking clocks, Or the cuckoo and any other animated figures on a cuckoo clock. There are many examples of automata in Greek mythology. Hephaestus created automata for his workshop. Talos was an artificial man of bronze. King Alcinous of the Phaeacians employed gold and silver watchdogs. According to Aristotle, Daedalus used quicksilver to make his wooden statue of Aphrodite move. And other Greek legends, He used Quicksilver to install voice in his moving statues. The automata in the Hellenistic world were intended as tools, Toys, Religious spectacles, Or prototypes for demonstrating basic scientific principles. Numerous water-powered automata were built by Decibius, A Greek inventor and the first head of the great Library of Alexandria. For example, He used water to sound a whistle and make a model owl move. It invented the world's first cuckoo clock. This tradition continued in Alexandria with inventors such as the Greek mathematician Hero of Alexandria, Whose writings on hydraulics, Pneumatics, And mechanics described siphons, A fire engine, A water organ, The aeolipile, And a programmable cart. Philo of Byzantium was famous for his inventions. Complex mechanical devices are known to have existed in Hellenistic Greece, Though the only surviving example is the Antikythera mechanism, The earliest known analog computer. The clockwork is thought to have come originally from Rhodes, Where there was apparently a tradition of mechanical engineering. The island was renowned for its automata. To quote Pindar's Seventh Olympic Ode, The animated figures stand, Adorning every public street, And seem to breathe in stone or move their marble feet. However, The information gleaned from recent scans of the fragments indicate that it may have come from the colonies of Corinth and Sicily, And implies a connection with Archimedes. According to Jewish legend, King Solomon used his wisdom to design a throne with mechanical animals, Which hailed him as king when he ascended it. Upon sitting down, An eagle would place a crown upon his head, And a dove would bring him a Torah scroll. It is also said that when King Solomon stepped upon the throne, A mechanism was set in motion. As soon as he stepped upon the first step, A golden ox and a golden lion each stretched out one foot to support him and help him rise to the next step. On each side, The animals helped the king up until he was comfortably seated upon the throne. In ancient China, A curious account of automata is found in the Liuzhou text, Believed to have originated around 400 BCE and compiled around the 4th century CE. Within it, There is a description of a much earlier encounter between King Mu of Zhou and a mechanical engineer known as Yanshi, An artificer. The latter proudly presented the king with a very realistic and detailed life-size human-shaped figure of his mechanical handiwork. The king stared at the figure in astonishment. It walked with rapid strides, Moving its head up and down, So that anyone would have taken it for a live human being. The artificer touched its chin, And it began singing perfectly in tune. He touched its hand, And it began posturing, Keeping perfect time. As the performance was drawing to an end, The robot winked its eye and made advances to the ladies in attendance. Whereupon the king became incensed and would have had Yin Xue executed on the spot had not the latter, In mortal fear, Instantly taken the robot to pieces to let him see what it really was. And indeed, It turned out to be only a construction of leather, Wood, Glue, And lacquer. Variously colored white, Black, Red, And blue. Examining it closely, The king found all the internal organs complete. Liver, Gall, Heart, Lungs, Spleen, Kidneys, Stomach, And intestines. And over these again, Muscles, Bones and limbs, With her joints, Skin, Teeth and hair. All of them artificial. The king tried the effect of taking away the heart and found that the mouse could no longer speak. He took away the liver, And the eyes could no longer see. He took away the kidneys and the legs lost their power of locomotion. The king was delighted. Other notable examples of automata include Archidas's dove, Mentioned by Aulus Gelius. Similar Chinese accounts of flying automata are written of the 5th century BC Moist philosopher Moja and his contemporary Luban, Who made artificial wooden birds that could successfully fly according to the Han Veja and other texts. The manufacturing tradition of automata continued in the Greek world well into the Middle Ages. On his visit to Constantinople in 949, Ambassador Liutprand of Cremona described automata in the Emperor Theophilus's palace, Including lions made either of bronze or wood, Covered with gold, Which struck the ground with their tails and roared with open mouth and quivering tongue. A tree of gilded bronze, Its branches filled with birds, Likewise made of bronze gilded over. And these emitted cries appropriate to their species. And the emperor's throne itself, Which was made in such a cunning manner, That at one moment it was down on the ground, While at another it rose higher and was to be seen up in the air. Similar automata in the throne room, Singing birds, Roaring and moving lions, Were described by Ludbrand's contemporary, The Byzantine emperor. In the mid-8th century, The first wind-powered automata were built, Statues that turned with the wind over the domes of the four gates in the palace complex of the round city of Baghdad. The public spectacle of wind-powered statues had its private counterpart in the Abbasid palaces, Where tamata of various types were predominantly displayed. Also, In the 8th century, The Muslim alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan included recipes for constructing artificial snakes, Scorpions, And humans that would be subject to their creator's control in his coded Book of Stones. In 827, Abbasid Caliph al-Mamun had a silver and golden tree in his palace in Baghdad, Which had the features of an automatic machine. There were metal birds that sang automatically on the swinging branches of his tree, Built by Muslim inventors and engineers. The Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir also had a silver and golden tree in his palace in Baghdad in 917, With birds on it flapping their wings and singing. In the 9th century, The Banu Musa brothers invented a programmable automatic flute player, And which they described in their book of ingenious devices. Al-Jazari described complex programmable humanoid automata, Amongst other machines he designed and constructed, In the Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices in 1206. His automaton was a boat with four automatic musicians that floated on a lake to entertain guests at royal drinking parties. His mechanism had a programmable drum machine with pegs that bump into little levers that operate the percussion. The drummer could be made to play different rhythms and drum patterns if the pegs were moved around. Al-Jazari constructed a hand-washing automaton, First employing the flush mechanism, Now used in modern toilets. It features a female automaton standing by a basin filled with water. When the user pulls the lever, The water drains and the automaton refills the basin. His peacock fountain was another more sophisticated hand-washing device, Featuring humanoid automatized servants, Who offer soap and towels. Mark E. Roshim describes it as follows. Pulling a plug on the peacock's tail releases water out of the beak. As the dirty water from the basin fills the hollow base, A float rises and actuates a linkage which makes a servant figure appear from behind a door, Under the peacock, And offer soap. When more water is used, A second float at a higher level trips and causes the appearance of a second servant figure with a towel. Al-Jazari thus appears to have been the first inventor to display an interest in creating human-like machines for practical purposes, Such as manipulating the environment for human comfort. Lamia Balafrage has also pointed out the prevalence of the figure of the automated slave in Al-Jazari's treatise. Automated slaves were a frequent motif in ancient and medieval literature, But it was not so common to find them described in a technical book. In 1066, The Chinese inventor, Su Song, Built a water clock in the form of a tower, Which featured mechanical figurines which chimed the hours. Samarangana Sutradhara, A Sanskrit treatise by Bhoja, Includes a chapter about the construction of mechanical contrivances, Atamata, Including mechanical bees and birds, Fountains shaped like humans and animals, And male and female dolls that refilled oil lamps, Danced, Played instruments, And reenacted scenes from Hindu mythology. V. R. Dancour, In his 1230s sketchbook, Depicted an early escapement mechanism in a drawing titled, How to Make an Angel Keep Pointing His Finger Toward the Sun, With an angel that would perpetually turn to face the sun. He also drew an automaton of a bird with jointed wings, Which led to their design, Implementation, And clocks. At the end of the 13th century, Robert II, Count of Ortois, Built a pleasure garden at his castle at Hesden that incorporated several automata's entertainment in the walled park. The work was conducted by local workmen and overseen by the Italian knight Renaud Cognier. It included monkey marionettes, A sundial supported by lions and wild men, Mechanized birds, Mechanized fountains, And a bellows-operated organ. The part was famed for its automata well into the 15th century, Before it was destroyed by English soldiers in the 16th century. The Chinese author Xiao Xun wrote that when the Ming Dynasty founder Hongwu was destroying the palaces of Kambalik, Belonging to the previous Yuan Dynasty, There were, Among many other mechanical devices, Automata found that were in the shape of tigers. The Renaissance witnessed a considerable revival of interest in automata. Hero's treatises were edited and translated into Latin and Italian. Hydraulic and pneumatic automata, Similar to those described by Hero, Were created for garden grottos. Giovanni Fontana, A Paduan engineer in 1420, Developed Bellicorum Instrumentorum Liber, Which includes a puppet of a camelet driven by a closed primate twice the height of a human being. And an automaton of Mary Magdalene. He also created mechanical devils and rocket propelled animal automata. While functional, Early clocks were also often designed as novelties and spectacles, Which integrated features of automata. Many big and complex clocks with automated figures were built as public spectacles in European town centers. One of the earliest of these large clocks was the Strasbourg Astronomical Clock, Built in the 14th century, Which takes up the entire side of a cathedral wall. It contained an astronomical calendar, A tamatha depicting animals, Saints, And the life of Christ. The mechanical rooster of Strasbourg-Klag was active from 1352 to 1789. The clock still functions to this day, But has undergone several restorations since its initial construction. The Prague Astronomical Clock was built in 1410. Animated figures were added from the 17th century onwards. Numerous clockwork automata were manufactured in the 16th century, Principally by the goldsmiths of the free imperial cities of Central Europe. These wondrous devices found a home in the cabinet of curiosities, Or wunderkammern, Of the princely courts of Europe. In 1454, Duke Philip created an entertainment show named the Extravagant Feast of the Pheasant, Which was intended to influence the Duke's peers to participate in a crusade against the Ottomans. But ended up being a grand display of automata, Giants, And dwarves. A banquet in Camilla of Aragon's honour in Italy, 1475, Featured a lifelike automated camel. The spectacle was a part of a larger parade, Which continued over days. Leonardo da Vinci sketched a complex mechanical knight, Which he may have built and exhibited at a celebration hosted by Ludovici Sforza at the court of Milan around 1495. The design of Leonardo's robot was not rediscovered until the 1950s. A functional replica was later built and could move its arms, Twist its head, And sit up. Da Vinci is frequently credited with constructing a mechanical lion, Which he presented to King François I in Lyon in 1515. Although no record of the device's original designs remain, A recreation of this piece is housed by the Chateau du Colossée. The Smithsonian Institution has in its collection a clockwork monk. About 15 inches high, Possibly dating as early as 1560. The monk is driven by a key-wound spring and walks the path of a square, Striking his chest with his right arm, While raising and lowering a small wooden cross and rosary in his left hand, Turning and nodding his head, Rolling his eyes, And mouthing silent obsequies. From time to time he brings a cross to his lips and kisses it. It is believed that the monk was manufactured by Juanel Toriano, Mechanician to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The first description of a modern cuckoo clock was the Augsburg nobleman, Philipp Heinhofer, In 1629. The clock belonged to Prince Elector August von Sachsen. By 1650, The workings of mechanical cuckoos were understood and were widely disseminated. In what is the first documented description of how a mechanical cuckoo works, A mechanical organ with several automated figures is described. In 18th century Germany, Clockmakers began making cuckoo clocks for sale. Clock shops selling cuckoo clocks became commonplace in the Black Forest region by the middle of the 18th century. Japan adopted clockwork odomata in the early 17th century as karakuri puppets. In 1662, Takeda Omi completed his first Butai Karakuri, And then built several of these large puppets for the theatrical exhibitions. Karakuri puppets went through a golden age during the Edo period. A new attitude towards automata is to be found in René Descartes when he suggested that the bodies of animals are nothing more than complex machines. The bones, Muscles and organs could be replaced with cogs, Pistons and cams. Thus, Mechanism became the standard to which nature and the organism was compared. France in the 17th century was the birthplace of those ingenious mechanical toys that were to become prototypes for the engines of the Industrial Revolution. Thus in 1649, When Louis XIV was still a child, François-Joseph de Camus designed for him a miniature coach, Complete with horses and footmen, A page, And a lady within the coach. All these figures exhibited a perfect movement. According to Le Bas, General de Jeanne constructed in 1688, In addition to machinery for gunnery and navigation, A peacock that walked and ate. As Anatius Kircher produced many Atamata to create Jesuit shows, Including a statue which spoke and listened via a speaking tube. The world's first successfully built biochemical automaton is considered to be the flute player, Which could play 12 songs, Created by the French engineer Jacques de Vaucanson in 1737. He also constructed the tambourine player and the digesting duck, A mechanical duck that, Apart from quacking and flapping its wings, Gave the false illusion of eating and defecating, Seeming to endorse Cartesian ideas that animals are no more than machines of flesh. In 1769, A chess-playing machine called the Turk, Created by Wolfgang von Kempelen, Made the rounds of the courts of Europe, Purporting to be an automaton. The Turk beat Benjamin Franklin in a game of chess when Franklin was ambassador to France. The Turk was actually operated from inside by a hidden human director and was not a true automaton. Other 18th century automaton makers include the prolific Swiss Pierre Jacquet-Draux, And his son Henri-Louis Jacquet-Draux, And his contemporary Henri Maillardet. Meyer Day, A Swiss mechanic, Created an automaton capable of drawing four pictures and writing three poems. Meyer Day's automaton is now part of a collection at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia. Belgian-born John Joseph Merlin created the mechanism of the silver swan automaton, Now at Bowes Museum. A musical elephant made by a French clockmaker, Hubert Martinet in 1774, Is one of the highlights of Waddesdon Manor. Tipu's tiger is another late 18th century example of a tamata made for Tipu Sultan, Featuring a European soldier being mauled by a tiger. Catherine the Great of Russia was gifted a very large and elaborate peacock clock created by James Cox in 1781, Now on display in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Atamata, Particularly watches and clocks, Were popular in China during the 18th and 19th centuries, And items were produced for the Chinese market. Strong interest by Chinese collectors in the 21st century brought many interesting items to market where they have had dramatic realizations. In 2016, The NASA Innovative Advance Concepts Program studied a rover, The Automaton rover for extreme environments. Designed to survive for an extended time in Venus's environmental conditions. Unlike other modern automata, Ari is an automaton instead of a robot for practical reasons. Venus's harsh conditions, Particularly its surface temperature of 462 degrees Celsius, Make operating electronics there for any significant time impossible. It would be controlled by a mechanical computer and driven by wind power. Automaton clocks are clocks which feature automatons within or around the housing, And typically activate around the beginning of each hour, At each half hour, Or at each quarter hour. They were largely produced from the 1st century BC to the end of the Victorian times in Europe. Older clocks typically featured religious characters or other mythical characters, Such as Death or Father Time. As time progressed, However, Automaton clocks began to feature influential characters at the time of creation, Such as kings, Famous composers, Or industrialists. Examples of automaton clocks include chariot clocks and cuckoo clocks. While automaton clocks are largely perceived to have been in use during medieval times in Europe, They are largely produced in Japan today. In automata theory, Clocks are regarded as timed automatons, A type of finite automaton. Automaton clocks, Being finite, Essentially means that automaton clocks have a certain number of states in which they can exist. The exact number is the number of combinations possible on a clock within the hour, Minute, And second hand. 43, 200. The title of Timed Automaton declares that the automaton changes states at a set rate, Which for clocks is one state change every second. Clock automata only takes as input the time displayed by the previous state. The automata use this input to produce the next state, A display of time one second later than the previous. Clock automata often also use the previous state's input to decide whether or not the next state requires merely changing the hands on the clock. Or if a special function is required. Such as a mechanical bird popping out of a house like in Cuckoo Clocks. This choice is evaluated through the position of complex gears, Cams, Axles, And other mechanical devices within the automaton.