Awesome Automata

Disney has been wowing theme park visitors with its Audio-Animatronics since 1961. Defunctland’s Kevin Perjurer dives deep into the history of Disney’s marvelous machines in this documentary that explores humans’ fascination with creating mechanical replicas of living creatures and starts long before the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Hall of Presidents opened.

In mythology, Sisyphus was a man punished for cheating death by having to roll a boulder uphill only to have it roll back down as he neared the top. Artist Ross McSweeney created this amazing laser-cut wooden automaton that animates the core of the story. You can purchase template files for the sculpture on his Etsy shop.

Artist Ross McSweeney specializes in mechanical sculptures called automata. Among his creations is this kinetic plaything that uses gears and crankshafts to make concentric circles of wood look like pond ripples. If you have access to a laser cutter, you can purchase the template files to make your own on Etsy.

Artist Penny Thomson makes these amazing moving sculptures of birds, dragons, faeries, and other creatures. Each one uses a crank and precisely-placed stiff wires to bring it to life. Her works go up for sale on her Etsy shop from time to time, but they sell out almost instantly.

Karakuri is the Japanese art of making papercraft automata. Originally published in Japan by artist and “paper engineer” Keisuke Saka, this book is filled with designs for fourteen different Karakuri models, including a tea-serving robot and a penguin on an iceberg that moves when you turn its crank. Best for ages 13+.

Back in 2017, artist Federico Tobon of wolfCat Workshop built a series of 29 tiny kinetic sculptures from wood, wire, and paper, each of which was brought to life by simply turning a crank. There are lots of nifty designs, but the walking man and the creature with spinning eyes at the end are our faves.

LEGO fanatic Jason Allemann continues to add to his collection of sweet brick-built automatons. His latest construction is a mechanized cross-country skier who effortlessly glides across the smooth LEGO snow below his tiny plastic feet.

Jason of JK Brickworks shows off another slick mechanical LEGO build – a canoe being paddled by a pair of brick-built French-Canadian fur traders. Like his other models, it can be hand-cranked or run with a LEGO Power Functions motor. More build details here.

Created by designer Dean O’ Callaghan, this wooden kinetic sculpture replicates the movement of a droplet as it splashes into a pool of water. We wonder how much further the design could be taken to add more ripples.