Automata Alley Resources

Bacon, M., No Strings Attached, Virgin, 1997.

Bailly, C., & Bailly, S., Automata: the golden age 1848-1914, Sotherby’s Publications/Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd, 1987.

Britten, J.F., Old Clocks and Watches and their Makers, 1889.

Brown, H.T., 507 Mechanical Movements, 1^st edn., 1868; US edition by Lindsay Publishers, 1984.

Buxton, R., Myths and Tragedies in their Ancient Greek Contexts, Oxford Univerity Press 2013.

Carrea, R., Androids: the Jacquet-Droz Automatons, Scriptar SA, 1979.

Ceccarelli, M., ed., International Symposium on the History of Machines and Mechanisms, Kluwer Academic, 2004.

Chapuis, A. & Droz, E., Automata: a historical and technical study, 1^st edn., Editions du Griffon, 1958; trans. Alec Reid, Central Book Co. Inc., 1958.

Cielisk, J. & M., Lehmann Toys: the history of EP Lehmann 1881-1981, New Cavendish Books, no date.

Cohen, J., Human Robots in Myth and Science, Allen & Unwin, 1966.

Cuomo, S., Technology and Culture in Greek and Roman Antiquity, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Gantz, T., Early Greek Myth: a guide to literary and artistic sources, 2 Vols., John Hopkins Press, 1993.

Glaser, H.a. & Rossbach, S., The Artificial Human: a tragical history, Peter Lang Publishers, 2011.

Hansen, W., Ariadne’s Thread: a guide to international tales found in Classical literature, Cornell University Press, 2002.

Hansen, W., Handbook of Classical Mythology, ABC-Clio, 2004.

Hansen, W., The Book of Greek and Roman Folktales, Legends, and Myths, Princeton University Press, 2017.

Hillier, M., Automata and Mechanical Toys: an illustrated history, Jupiter Books, 1976/Bloomsbury Books 1998.

Kang, M., Sublime Dreams of Living Machines: the automaton in the European Imagination, Harvard University Press, 2005.

Kotsanas, K., Ancient Greek Technology: inventions of the ancient Greeks, Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, 2014.

Leftkowitz, M., Greek Gods, Human Lives: what we can learn from myths, Yale University Press, 2003.

Levy, A., ed., The Great Toys of Georges Carette, New Cavendish Books, 1975.

Lin, P., Abney, K. & Bekey, G., eds., Robot Ethics: the ethical and social implications of robotics, MIT Press, 2014.

Mayor, A., Gods and Robots: myths, machines, and ancient dreams of technology, Princeton University Press, 2018.

Nocks, L., The Robot: the life story of a technology, Greenwood Publishing, 2007.

Oleson, J.P., The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World, Oxford University Press, 2009.

Onn, A.L., & Alexander, G., Cabaret Mechanical Movement, Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, 1998.

Peppé, R., Automata and Mechanical Toys, Crowood Press, 2002.

Simons, G.L., Robots: the quest for living machines, Cassell, 1992.

Spilhaus, A. & K., Mechanical Toys: how old toys work, Robert Hale Press, 1998.

Truitt, E.R., Medieval Robots: mechanism magic, nature, and art, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015.

Williams, A., History of Digital Games, Taylor & Francis, 2017.

Woodford, S., Images of Myths in Classical Antiquity, Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Zielinski, S. & Weibel, P., eds., Allah’s Automata: artifacts of the Arab-Islamic Renaissance (800-1200), ZKM, 2015.

Berryman, S., “The imitation of life in Ancient Greek Philosophy,” in Riskin, J., ed., Genesis Redux: essays in the history and philosophy of artificial life, Chicago University Press, 2007, 35-45.

Bryson, J., & Kime, P., “Just an Artifact: why machines are perceived as moral agents,” in Walsh, T., ed., Proceedings of the Twenty-Second International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Vol.2, AAAI Press, 2011, 1641-1646.

Kalligeropoulos, D. & Vasileiadou, S., “The Homeric Automata and their Implementation,” in Paipetis, S.A., ed., Science and Technology in Homeric Epics, Springer Science & Business Media, 2008, 77-84.

Koetsier, T. & Kerle, H., “The Automaton Nysa: mechanism design in Alexandria in the 3^rd century BC,” in Sorge, F. & Genchi, G., eds., Essays on the history of Mechanical Engineering, Springer, 2015, 347-366.

Spivey, N., “Bionic Statues,” in Powell, A., ed., The Greek World, Routledge, 1995.

Steblin, R., “Mälzel’s Early Career to 1813. New Archival research in Regensburg and Vienna,” in Horn, W. & Weber, F., eds., Colloquium Collegarum. Festschrift für David Hiley zum 65. Geburtstag (= Regensburger Studien zur Musikgeschichte, vol.10), Hans Schneider, 2013, 161-210.

Ambrosini, L., “Images of Artisans on Etruscan and Italic Gems,” Etruscan Studies 17.2 (2014) 172-191.

Anderson, D., “Was There Artificial Life in the Ancient World? Interview with Dr Alan Dorin,” Sydney Morning Herald, August 28, 2012, www.smh.com.au/national/education/was-there-artificial-life-in-the-ancient-world-20120827-24vxt.html

Berryman, S., “Ancient Automata and Mechanical Explanation,” Phronesis 48.4 (2003) 344-369.

Borody, W.A., “The Japanese Roboticisr Masahiro Mori’s Buddhist Inspired Concept of “The Uncanny Valley”,” Journal of Evolution and Technology 23.1 (2013) 31-44.

Bosak-Schroeder, C., “The Religious Life of Greek Automata,” Archiv für Religionsgeschichte 17 (2016) 123-136.

Bremmer, J., “The Agency of Greek and Roman Statues: from Homer to Constantine,” Opuscula 6 (2013) 7-21.

Cohen, J., “Automata in Myth and Science,” History Today 13 May (1963) 5.

Cohen, S., “Romancing the Robot and Other Tales of Mechanical Beings in Indian Literature,” Acta Orientalia 64 (2002) 65-75.

Cusack, C., “The End of Human? The Cyborg Past and Present,” Sydney Studies in Religion, September 19 (2008) 223-234.

Flood, A., “Robots could Learn Human Values by Reading Stories,” Guardian, February 18, 2016.

Lin, P., “Do Killer Robots Violate Human Rights?” Atlantic, April 20 (2015), www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/04/do-killer-robots-violate-human-rights/390033/

Marshall, C.W., “Do Androids Dream of Electric Greeks?” Eidolon, October 26 (2017), https://eidolon.pub/do-androids-dream-of-electric-greeks-a407b583a364.

Martinho-Truswell, A., “To Automate in Human,” Aeon, February 13, 2018, https://aeon.co/essays/the-offloading-ape-the-human-is-the-beast-that-automates.

Ambrosino, B., “When Robots are Indistinguishable from Humans What Will Be Inside Them?” Popular Mechanics (February 15, 2017), www.popularmechanics.com/culture/tv/a25210/inside-synths-amc-humans/

Anadale, C., On Albertus Magnus: “St. Thomas Aquinas & the Robot,” Parts 1-3, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOnVQhh_NpU

Art of Play: https://www.artofplay.com/blogs/articles/automatons-the-odd-magic-of-living-machines

Automata and Mechanical Toys: https://www.mechanical-toys.com/

Bedini, S.A., The Role of Automata in the History of Technology, https://xroads.virginia.edu/~DRBR/b_edini.html

Bogunia, B., “Automating Sound: ars combinatoria and mystical automata,“ The Foundation Mediateka, https://agosto-foundation.org/automating-the-sound-ars-combinatoria-and-mystical-automata

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre: www.cabaret.co.uk

Cave, S. & Dihal, K., “Ancient Dreams of Intelligent Machines: 3,000 years of robots,” Nature 559 (2018) 473-475: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y

History Computer Staff, “Henri Maillardet – Biography, History, and Inventions” January 4, 2021-November 20, 2022, https://history-computer.com/henri-maillardet-biography-history-and-inventions/

Keith Newstead’s Links Page: https://www.keithnewsteadautomata.com/links/

Kristec, L., “Notes from the Curator’s Office: of automatons and automata,” The Museum of Unnatural Mystery, 06/2011: http://www.unmuseum.org/notescurator/automata.htm

Reuben Hoggett, “1891-1893: Steam Man - Prof. George Moore (Canadian/American),” Cyberneticzoo.com: a history of cybernetic animals and early robots, 6 October 2009, http://cyberneticzoo.com/steammen/1891-1893-steam-man-prof-george-moore-canadianamerican/

RAC Car and Motoring: https://rac.com.au/car-motoring/info/future_history-of-automation

Rochat: http://freres-rochat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Fr%C3%A8res-Rochat-Corporate-Brochure-panorama.pdf

Ruffell, I., “Hero’s Automata: first moves,” University of Glasgow Classics Research Blog on ancient technology, http://classics.academicblogs.co.uk/heros-automata-first-moves/

Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology (Greece): https://kotsanas.com/gb/index.php

Mechanical Art and Design Museum (UK): https://themadmuseum.co.uk/history-of-automata/

Modern Automata Museum, Rieti (Italy): http://www.modernautomatamuseum.com/

Morris Museum, Guinness Collection, NJ (US): https://morrismuseum.org/on-view/permanent-galleries/murtogh-d-guinness-collection-mechanical-music-automata

Muzey Sobraniye, Museum Collection of David Yakobashvili (Russia): https://mus-col.com/

Musée De L’Automate, Souillac (France): https://www.musee-automate.fr/

Musée Des L’Automates & Modèles Réduits (France): https://museeslarochelle.com/

Museo de Autómatas del Tibidabo (Spain): https://www.tibidabo.cat/ca/en-el-parc/atraccions/museu-dautomats

Museum of Music Automatons Seewen SO (Switzerland): https://www.musikautomaten.ch/mma/de/home.html

Nosaka Automata Museum (Japan): http://www.automata.co.jp/

Novelty Automation (UK): https://novelty-automation.com/

Neuchâtel Art & History Museum, Jaquet-Droz Automata Room, (Switzerland): https://www.mahn.ch/fr/expositions/automates-jaquet-droz

Free 3D Hands: https://free3dhands.org/

Free 3D Hands Media, esp. “Advancing Australia: Access for All Documentary, Ch.10” https://free3dhands.org/media/

eNable: https://enablingthefuture.org/

“How 3D-Printed Prosthetic Hands Are Changing These Kids’ Lives: short film showcase” National Geographic, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl8ijPGEKO8&t=208s

van Nostrand, A., “Ancient Bionics: the origins of modern prosthetics,” Dig Ventures, March 10 (2015), https://digventures.com/2015/03/ancient-bionics-the-origins-of-modern-prosthetics/

Ramsay, G.J., “Mechanical Speech Synthesis in Early Talking Automata,” https://acousticstoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Mechanical-Speech-Synthesis-in-Early-Talking-Automata-Gordon-J.-Ramsay.pdf

Voon, C., “The Sophisticated Design of a 3,000-Year-Old Wooden Toe,” Hyperallergic, 2017, https://hyperallergic.com/387047/the-sophisticated-design-of-a-3000-year-old-wooden-toe/

https://www.une.edu.au/info-for/visitors/museums/museum-of-antiquities

Amenhotep, son of Hapu, of Thebes, Egypt (15^th century BC), melodious statue of Memnon.

Archytus of Tarentum (420-411 BC), pneumatic-pulley-system driven wooden pigeon.

Archimedes of Syracuse, Sicily (287-212 BC), described the worm gear, levers, hydrostatics and the calculation of pi (π)

Hero of Alexandria (285-222 BC), hydraulic, pneumatic, and mechanical power, mechanical theatres.

Ctesibius of Alexandria (c.285-222 BC), mechanical inventions.

Philo of Byzantium (c.250-180 BC), automata and scientific and mechanical theory.

Abdullah al-Ma’mūn, Caliph of Baghdad (c.AD 800), commissioned Kitab al-Hiyal (“The Book of Ingenious Devices”)

Albertus Magnus of Cologne (c. AD 1200-1280), automaton “android” smashed by Thomas Aquinas.

Al-Jazarī of Persia (AD 1206), clepsydra, automata, treatise on automata.

European Clockmakers (c.14^th century AD) Jacquemarts in churches and clock towers

Johannes Muller “Regiomontanus” of Unfinden Königsberg, Bavaria (AD 1436-1476), wooden eagle and iron fly automata.

Leonardo da Vinci of Anchiano, Italy (AD 1452-1519), animal, insect, and military automata, and numerous scientific innovations.

Giannello Torriano of Cremona, Milan (c.AD 1500-1585), automata maker to Charles V, famous for “The Monk” automaton.

Hans Bullmann of Nuremberg (d. AD 1535), Nuremberg clockwork automata.

Isaac Habrecht of Schaffhausen (AD 1544-1620), 1574 Strasbourg clock, and clock automata.

Hans Schlottheim of Ausberg (AD 1547-1625), Ausburg clocks and automata.

Josias Habrecht, brother of Isaac, of Schaffhausen (AD 1552-1635), 1574 Strasbourg clock, and clock automata.

Thomas Francine (Tommaso Francini) of Florence (AD 1571-1651), Saint Germain en Laye/Versailles gardens and grottos automata.

Cornelius Drebbel of Holland (AD 1573-1633),

Robertus de Fluctibus of England (AD 1574-1637), hydraulics and automata.

Salmon de Caus of France (AD 1576-1626), steam engine and hydraulic inventions, automata for grottos.

Christian Theodor Danbeck & Abraham Augsburg (17^th century AD), mechanical pictures with clockwork movement.

Anathasius Kircher of Würzburg (AD 1601-1680), founder of Cabinet of Physics in Rome.

Georg Philipp Harsdörffer of Nuremberg (AD 1607-1658), a word generator and series of Nuremberg tradesmen automata.

Kaspar Schott  of Würzburg (AD 1608-1666), automata playing musical instruments and author of Mecanica 1657.

Jacob Lovelace of England (AD 1656-1716), astronomical clocks with automata and music.

Le Pere Sebastien Truchet of Lyons (AD 1657-1729), mechanical theatre and tableaux mouvants.

Henry Bridges of England (AD 1697-1754), clockmaker and Microcosm astronomique automata.

Jacques de Vaucanson of Grenoble (AD 1709-1782), the defecating duck, automata and mechancial inventions.

Pierre Rochat of Vallee des Joux, Switzerland (AD 1718-1806), worked for Jaquet-Droz. His family went on to found a dynasty of luxury automata, watch, and singing bird makers. David III Rochat, son of Pierre (AD1746-1812); Henri Samuel (AD1777-1854), David Frederich Henri (1774-1848), and Jacques Francois Elisee Rochat (1771-1836), grandsons of Pierre; Antoine Auguste Frederic (1799-1882), Charles Louis Francoise (1759-1862), and Ami-Napoleon Francoise Rochat (1807-1875), great-grandsons of Pierre.

Ludwig Knauss of the House of Hesse, Germany (AD 1715-1750), court clockmaker.

Pierre Jaquet-Droz of Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland (AD 1721-1790), watches and clocks with miniature automata, and androids.

James Cox of London (AD 1723-1800), celebrated clockmaker, jeweller and automata maker.

Friedrich von Knauss of the House of Hesse, Germany (AD 1724-1789), court mechanic and writing automata.

L’Abbé Mical of France (AD 1730-1789), talking heads and the android flautist.

Jean Mathieu de Ventavon, Jesuit (AD 1733-1787), automata for the Qianlong emperor of China.

Wolfgang von Kempelen of Vienna (AD 1734-1804), talking machines and “trick” chess-player.

Charles le Pere of Paris (AD 1738-1804), automata for Emperor Kien Lang of China 1790.

Yorinao Hosokawa of Japan (AD 1741-1796), 3 volume manual “Sketches of Automata.”

Jean Henri Nicholas Maillardet of Meyries, Switzerland (AD 1745-1830), having worked for Jaquet-Droz and Leschot, he produced androids that were exhibited in London, small jewelled automata, and the now famous ‘Draughtsman-Writer’.

Pierre Kintzing of Germany (AD 1746-1816), mechanic associated with David Roentgen; tympanon at Conservatoire des Artes et Metiers.

Jean Frederic Leschot of Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland (AD 1746-1827), clocks, watches, automata and singing birds.

Jean David Maillardet, brother of Jean Henri, of Fontaines (Neuchâtel), Switzerland (AD 1748-1834), created automata for magicians and worked with the Robert family.

Henri Louis Jaquet-Droz, son of Pierre, of Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland (AD 1752-1791), worked with father, Leschot, and Maillardet.

Johann Gottfried Kaufmann of Frankfurt (AD 1752-1818), “The Trumpet Player” (1810) and other musical automata.

Joseph Marie Jacquard of Lyon, France (AD 1752-1834), invents punch card programming for automated weaving looms in 1805.

Jacob Frisard of Villeret, Switzerland (AD 1753-1812), automata watches, singing bird boxes, and snuff boxes for European, Turkish and Oriental markets.

Johann Nepomuk Mälzel of Regensburg (AD 1772-1838), Panharmonicon musical orchestre, patented a talking doll, and the invention of the metronome.

Philippe Samuel Meylan of Brassus (AD 1772-1845), worked in Geneva making automata for watches and snuff boxes.

Isaac Daniel Piguet of Vallee des Joux, Switzerland (AD 1775-1841), associate in Geneva of Ph.S. Meylan, specialising in complicated musical watches.

Julien Auguste Maillardet, son of Jean David (AD 1779-1852), worked on automata with his father at Neuchatel.

Leonard Rupert Mälzel of Regensburg (AD 1783-1855), also a distinguished automata maker, but erroneously credited with some of his brother Johann’s inventions.

Charles Brugier of Geneva (AD 1788-1862), founder of Brugier, makers of automata and singing birds.

Jean Eugene Blois Robert-Houdin of France (AD 1805-1871), inventor, illusionist, and escape artist who used automata in his shows.

Johann Bartholomew Rechsteiner of Switzerland (AD 1810-1893), mechanic and automata repairer for Museum of Automata of Dietz and Frechon; also repaired Vaucanson’s duck.

H. Stenevard of Paris (mid 19^th century AD), mechanic and showman specialising in musical automata and automata for magicians.

Blaise Bontems of Paris (mid 19^th century AD), inventions for clocks and automata, and specialising in singing birds. His business was continued by his sons Charles & Alfred, and grandson Lucien.

Jean Roullet of Paris (c.AD 1830s-1907), founded the automata-making firm of Roullet-Decamps.

Carl Faberge of St Petersburg (AD 1846-1920), jeweller and trinket maker specialising in chefs d’oevre and Easter eggs to the Tsar of Russia.

Henri Ernest Decamps of Paris (AD 1847-1909), son-in-law of Jean Roullet.

Emmanuel Cottier of Carouge, Switzerland (AD 1858-1930), mechanic, watchmaker, automata and mechanical theatre for shadow shows.

H. & G. Vichy of Paris (AD 1860), established firm producing realistic musical, smoking, and performing automata. The firm was succeeded by Maison Triboulet.

Gaston Decamps, son of Henri, of Paris (AD 1882-1972), automata and robots for window displays and exhibitions. His business was continued by his daughter Celeste and her husband Georges Bellancourt.

George Moore of Canada (c. AD 1893), walking steam-man automaton.

Sainte-Croix Reuge of Switzerland (20^th century AD), musical boxes, singing birds, and modern automata.

Alan Turing of London (AD 1912-1954), cryptanalyst and logician describes the “Turing Test” in 1950.

George Devol of Connecticut (AD 1912-2011), “grandfather of robotics” creates the first programmable robotic arm.

Isaac Asimov of Boston, (AD 1920-1992), short story “Runaround” (1942) describes the three laws of robotics.

Jack Kilby of Texas, US (AD 1923-2005) and Robert Noyce of Texas, US (AD 1927-1990), each independently invent the computer chip in 1958-1959.