a history of cybernetic animals and early robots
1849 – Flute-Playing Automaton by Innocenzo Manzetti. A comparison photo above showing the Flautist's size with a real person. In 1849 Innocenzo Manzetti constructed a flute-playing automaton, in the shape of a man, life-size, seated on a chair. Hidden inside the chair were levers, connecting rods and compressed air tubes, which made the automaton's lips …
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[Sourced from: Mechanical Toys: How Old Toys Work, by Athelstan and Kathleen Spilhaus (New York: Crown Publishers Inc., 1989)] The principle of the Bourdon tube, a flattened, flexible tube that straightens out under pressure, was used in pneumatic toys such as the rubber monkey that plays a drum when a rubber bulb is squeezed by …
The Womaniser, now owned by the Tate Gallery, which was inspired by 'wondering what it would be like to be a hermaphrodite and make love to myself. It had six breasts and rubber gloves that inflated every 30 seconds'. A life-sized figure, assembled out of inflatables and prosthetics, has been strapped to a dentist’s chair. …
Two Flying Humanoids successfully tested over downtown Austin, June 5, '99. Sponsored by the Austin Museum of Art's Robots Live! program. These were quite large – see the drawing of a person for comparison. Source: http://www.main.org/polycosmos/android/flyer/mrpeanut.htm The Humanoid Airship A "flying peanut" winged humanoid robot is under development for the opening of Austin's new airport. …
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Bipedal Ornithopter in flight. Parts. Source: http://web.archive.org/web/19961114042310/http://robotgroup.org/projects/Roboblimp.html Bipedal Onithopter UAV By David Santos It runs on two legs, flaps wings to take flight, and flys nimbly about the nooks and crannies of urban landscapes. Featured on the Discovery Channel's, Invention Series, ABC's Good Morning America, and Newsweek magazine. The blimp is a 12-foot-long airship with running legs …
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