the.com/automaton
a machine that performed before electricity, proving showing off predates plugging in.
means A self-operating machine, especially one built to mimic the movements of a living creature, that runs on its own internal mechanism without continuous human control.
from Straight from Greek: automatos, "acting of one's own will," stitched together from autos ("self") and a root tied to mind and motion (a cousin of the men- in "mental"). The neuter form automaton meant "a thing that moves by itself." Greek and Latin handed it down to describe clockwork wonders long before robots — and that same autos still hums inside "automatic" and "automobile."
- ancient origins
- Greek myths describe bronze guardians long before robots
- writer machine
- An 1770s automaton actually penned custom poems
- clockwork hearts
- Powered by springs and gears, no electricity needed
- word root
- Greek for acting of one's own will
- chess fraud
- The Turk hid a human player inside
mechanical turk — chess-playing automaton built by wolfgang von kempelen in 1769 that defeated benjamin franklin
jaquet droz automata — three mechanical figures created by pierre jaquet-droz in 1770s: a writer, musician, and draughtsman
maillardet's automaton — swiss mechanical boy built around 1800 that draws pictures and writes poetry with a pen