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I'm not sure who built this shudder-worthy automaton of Cleopatra getting nipped by asps, but according to House of Automata, this phantasmagoric clip is from a 1976 documentary on ye olde robots. It looks like a charming conversation piece, particularly if you wish to expedite boring dinner parties. More »
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Filmmaker Matthew Allard has made this lovely little interview with craftsman Hideki Higashino, who specializes in the creation of Karakuri, or automata dating back to Japan's Edo period. Don't worry, they're a helluva lot less freaky than medieval European automata. More »
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We recently looked at devilish automata from the 15th century; here's Gustave Vichy's mildly terrifying mechanical harpist, which was built in Paris in 1880. Her golden harp is invisible to the living; you can only see it on your deathbed. More »
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Automata were... theologically and culturally familiar, things with which one could be on easy terms. More »
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From our earliest dreams of golems and Galatea, people have wanted to create artificial beings with human characteristics and abilities. But in our haste to see a future of walking, talking mechanical humanoids, we're easily fooled by con artists looking to exploit our sense of wonder. Hoaxers and engineers, magicians and advertising agencies have sold the public on "robots" whose incredible abilities seemed to defy explanation. We pull the curtain back on some the fake automata that captured the human imagination. More »
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