When you think about animatronics, one of the first things that might pop in your head are the hyper-realistic characters found in amusement parks that mimic human abilities. Animatronics are not only found inside modern amusement parks, they are found throughout history.
The history of animatronics begins centuries back. In the 17th-century clockmakers designed miniature animated characters that would emerge from a clock when it struck the hour (See Figure 1).
Figure 1. Cuckoo clock with a small animated figure.
These miniature characters are referred to as automata [1].
The term "Automata" is derived from the Greek word "αὐτόματα" which means "self-acting"
(Automata Theory Introduction - Tutorialspoint, n.d.)
Surprisingly, the first records of automata go back to ancient Greece, Rome, and China [2]. Many references to these self-operating machines can be found in Greek Mythology. Mayor (as cited in Shashkevich, 2019) said that the story of Thalos, first mentioned around 700 B.C by Hesiod, offers one of the earliest conceptions of a robot.
The myth describes Talos as a giant bronze man built by Hephaestus, the Greek god of invention and blacksmithing. Talos was commissioned by Zeus, the king of Greek gods, to protect the island of Crete from invaders. He marched around the island three times every day and hurled boulders at approaching enemy ships (Shashkevich, 2019).
Without the use of modern techniques is seems impossible that the Greeks were able to build something that resembles a robot. "It is thought that inventors used complex systems of levers, pulleys, and wheels to build self-directed machinery", Whelan (2020) writes. Whelan also mentions a book on automation written by mathematician-engineer Heron of Alexandria. In the book, Alexandria describes many of his automatons and self-operating machines, including hydraulic systems, fire engines, wind-operated machines, and even a self-propelled cart.
Going back to the 20th century, Walt Disney started developing animatronics for entertainment and film with his team Imagineers [1]). Walt and his team’s first completed Audio-Animatronic arrived at Disneyland in 1963, which resulted in the Tiki Room, home to more than 200 singing birds [3](See figure 2). Even after Walt’s early passing in 1966 Imagineers kept innovating animatronics which does still hold up to this day.
Figure 2. Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.
Nowadays, the use of animatronics goes far beyond the entertainment industry. Animatronics are put to use in the medical field to train and teach medical students about anatomy, while a talking head teaches children about the evolution of the human body. Researchers are also examining the use of animatronic pets to reduce loneliness with the elderly (Yeshwanth et al., 2019) (Tkatch et al., 2020, p. 5).
Still, on this day, there is room for innovation. Parts of the creation process of animatronics are largely done by hand, which can take up a lot of time. Who knows what the future might bring.
List of figures
JOHANN BAPTIST BEHA MODEL N. 256. (2017, June 22). [Image]. BLACK FOREST CLOCK. http://www.blackforestclock.blog/2017/06/22/beha/
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. (n.d.). [Image]. Disdom. https://www.disdom.com/walt-disneys-enchanted-tiki-room/
List of references
Automata Theory Introduction - Tutorialspoint. (n.d.). Tutorialspoint. Retrieved 10 March 2021, from https://www.tutorialspoint.com/automata_theory/automata_theory_introduction.htm
Shashkevich, A. (2019, March 6). Mythical fantasies about artificial life. Stanford News. https://news.stanford.edu/2019/02/28/ancient-myths-reveal-early-fantasies-artificial-life/
Whelan, E. (2020, February 5). Automation in the Ancient World: The Robots of Greece and Rome. Classical Wisdom. https://classicalwisdom.com/culture/history/automation-in-the-ancient-world/
Yeshwanth, G. R., Sneha, D., Sahana, M., Darshini, D. P., & Devi, M. (2019, June 1). Design and Fabrication of Animatronic Skull using 3D Printer. IJERT. https://www.ijert.org/design-and-fabrication-of-animatronic-skull-using-3d-printer
Tkatch, R., Wu, L., MacLeod, S., Ungar, R., Albright, L., Russell, D., Murphy, J., Schaeffer, J., & Yeh, C. S. (2020). Reducing loneliness and improving well-being among older adults with animatronic pets. Aging & Mental Health, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2020.1758906