Fun objects such as this automaton can amuse and entertain using the simplest of mechanical technology and can be made by anyone using basic woodworking skills. We all like objects that move and do things, and this electronic age has brought us some fantastic toys and novelties, but they all need batteries! Not automata.
This example of automata started out as being just a rat catcher and rodent but there was spare room for extra cams and other moving parts. It’s called Catch Me if You Can and I’ve made a video to show you how it works.
Here is another automaton, of a fisherman, a prototype for a more sophisticated version.
And other automata, including a punk rocker.
