19 Ancient Robots and Automatons

Robots may seem like purely the domain of the future, but they’ve been around for a long time.

Published 2 weeks ago in Wow

Robots may seem like purely the domain of the future, but they’ve been around for a long time. Sure, they didn’t have laser beams or artificial intelligence, but if it clanks like a robot, clunks like a robot, and thunks like a robot, it’s probably a robot.

Much like today, automatons in the olden days were mostly the domain of the very wealthy, who could afford to have them commissioned. Or, if you were a king, inventors would show you their various mechanical creations to try and gain your favor.

These ingenious automatons range from ancient robots that could virtuosically play instruments, to metal ducks. Take a look.

1
Tipu’s Tiger
A life-size Indian automaton of a tiger eating an Englishman, with an organ inside. When the crank is turned, the tiger growls and the man moans and flails around. It was created in the 1790s.

2
Tea Serving Doll
A 19th century tea-serving automaton doll from Japan.

3
Singing Hummingbird Box
Paris, France. 1890.
4
The Silver Swan
This automaton was built in 1773. Levers allow the swan to move its body in a surprisingly lifelike fashion, and a system of rods make the water around it appear to move, along with fish swimming. The Silver Swan is still functional today.

5
Pierrot writing letter to Colombine
Paris, France. 1880s
6
Performing Monkeys
“Performing monkeys: conjuror and two musicians”. Paris, France, circa 1895.
7
Musical Clock
A musical clock with dancing automata and an organ. Kind of like a super fancy, super old cuckoo clock. Circa 1625.

8
Jaquet-Droz’s Three Automatons
Swiss inventor and watchmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz built three of the world’s most extraordinary automatons in the late 1700s. Known as The Writer, The Draughtsman, and The Musician, these three robots used a series of coded disks to write words, draw pictures, and even play multiple songs on a fully functional organ.
9
Mechanical Turk
A mechanical man created in 1769 seated at a chessboard which could supposedly exhibit artificial intelligence and play chess on its own. It turned out to be a hoax, with a person controlling it.
10
Warfare Device
A sketch of a possible war machine automaton from Giovanni de Fontana’s sketchbook ‘The Book of Warfare Devices’. 1420.

11
The Mechanical Monk
King Phillip II of Spain commissioned a clockmaker to make this lifelike recreation of Saint Diego. It can walk, pray, and kiss its rosary and cross. This 450-year-old automaton still works today and is held at the Smithsonian.
12
Gothic Fountain
This gothic table fountain was thought to be a showpiece for European aristocrats in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is covered with many small animated automata.
13
Gentleman on the Phone
Paris, France. 1910s

14
Al-Jazari’s Floating Orchestra
According to the Arabic inventor Al-Jazari’s 1206 “Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices”, he designed this water-powered automaton that could float on a lake and play music during gatherings. It included a four piece band and mechanical oarsmen who could row the machine around the lake. Some people claim that this automaton was one of history’s first computers.
15
The Digesting Duck
In 1739, French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson unveiled his masterpiece: The Digesting Duck. This mechanical bird could flap its wings, splash in a pool of water, and most notably, eat grain from people’s hands and then defecate pellets onto a silver platter. This pooping duck was beloved and was displayed in multiple royal courts.
16
A diagram incorrectly guessing the inner workings of the Digesting Duck.

17
Da Vinci’s Knight
Scattered notes and sketches from Leonardo Da Vinci’s journals outlined his plan to build a robot in the form of an armored knight. Though no complete sketches exist, there is evidence to suggest that Da Vinci may have actually built a prototype in 1495. In the picture, NASA roboticist Mark Rosheim poses with a recreation of Da Vinci’s robot in 2002.
18
The Steam-Powered Pigeon of Archytas
Archytas of Tarentum, a renowned mathematician and politician is said to have designed this steam-powered bird circa 350 BC that was able to fly through the air. Regardless of whether it was actually steam-powered, this is still considered to be one of history’s first automatons.
19
Jacquemarts
Jacquemarts, or ‘jacks-of-the-clock’, were among the earliest clockwork automata. They were also known as bellstrikers. This bellstriker is located on St. Peter’s Collegiate Church in Belgium.