Making Simple Automata

Making Moving Toys and Automata

This beautiful book draws on Robert Race's extensive collection of traditional moving toys, looking at the ways the makers have achieved remarkable and varied results, often with very limited resources. Each chapter begins by looking at the mechanisms and materials used in some of these traditional moving toys, goes on to consider possible variations, and describes how to make a related moving toy. It continues, from this basis, to develop a design for an automaton. The book shows that designing and making these simple but wonderfully satisfying mechanical devices is fun, and that good results can be achieved in many different ways, using a variety of materials, tools and equipment such as wood and wire, card and paper, bamboo, string, tin plate and feathers. It exploits, in a simple way, mechanisms such as levers, linkages, cranks and cams. It explores different ways of moving those mechanisms directly by hand, by springs or falling weights, and by the wind. Beautifully illustrated with 117 colour images.

How to Design and Make Simple Automata

Automata and Mechanical Toys

Automata and mechanical toys delight children and adults alike with the beauty of their design and the excitement of their movement. This book explains how the mechanisms work and celebrates many leading makers. Topics covered: ·History of automata & mechanical toys including the early inventors from Hero of Alexandria, through the mechanical marvels of the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries, to contemporary automata. ·Advice on how to get started; tools and materials required and techniques explained. ·Step-by-step instructions with clear colour photographs.