I, Automaton — Philly’s Own Steampunk Robot 11/4
Posted on | October 30, 2007 | Comments Off
This Sunday, Author Brian Selznick is making an appearance by the side of the Franklin Institute’s Maillardet’s Automaton in support of his book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Maillardet’s Automaton, which the Franklin Institute restored to near-perfection, is a nifty little robot-like device capable of scribbling out a few pre-programmed sketches, powered by clock-like cams that guide the robot’s arms over a specific pathway. In essence, it isn’t terribly different than a player piano. Isn’t it amazing how a machine can go from clever to an astounding engineering marvel when you give it a little face?
I wonder if the Franklin sells the automaton’s sketches in the gift shop. We’d know if they ever fixed their online store.
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