AIITOIA'ATON (Lat., from Gk. airr6p.aros, automatos, self-moving). A piece of mechan ism constructed to represent human or animal figures and actions. The construction of au tomata has occupied men's attention from very early times. As early as B.C. 400, the invention of a mechanical dove which could fly is credited to the Greek mathematician, Archytas. and there are numerous reports of curious automata hav ing been invented at various times and by vari ous persons from the Thirteenth to the Seven teenth Century. most of which are open to considerable doubt. In 173S. however. it is au thentically reported that Vaucanson. a French man, exhibited in Paris an automaton repre senting a flute-player which placed its lips against the instrument and produced the notes with its fingers exactly as a human being does. In 1741 this same mathematician exhibited a flageolet-player which with one hand beat a tam bourine, and in the same year lie produced a duck which swain, dived, ate. drank. dressed its wings, etc., as naturally as its animated companion. Droz, a Swiss, is reported to have invented a sheep which would bleat and a dog guarding a basket of fruit which would hark if any of the fruit was removed. ceasing only when it was replaced. At the London Exhibition of 1S51 Maillardet exhibited a bullfinch which fluttered its wings and gave the note of the bird which it represented. Houdin, the famous conjurer, made a writing and drawing automaton which was operated by clockwork. The chess-player of Kempelen was long regarded as the most wonderful of automata. It represented a Turk of natural size. dressed in the national cos tume, and seated behind a box resembling a chest of drawers in shape. Before the game com menced, the artist opened several doors in the chest, which revealed a large number of pulleys, wheels, cylinders, springs. etc. The chessmen were produced from a long drawer, as was also a cushion for the figure to rest its arm upon.
The figure not being able to speak, signified when the queen of his antagonist was in danger by two nods, and when the king was in cheek by three. The automaton succeeded in beating most of the players with whom it engaged: hut it turned out afterwards that a crippled Russian officer, a very celebrated chess-player, was con cealed in the interior of the figure, and that he used this means to escape from Russia. where his life was in danger. In 1S75 Mr. J. N. Maskelyn exhibited an automaton under the name of 'Psycho' which represented a seated human figure. To show that the contrivance was not operated by electricity, it was insulated by being mounted on a glass cylinder. This figure moved its head, and from a rack in front of it selected the cards necessary for playing a hand at whist. It would also work out calculations up to 100,000.000, showing the entire total of each calculation by opening a door in a box. Another automaton named 'Zoe.' similar in appearance to the first, and insulated in like manner, was designed by Mr. Maskelyn. This figure would draw the likeness of any person chosen by the spectators from a list of 200 names. Various other automata have been contrived at different times.
In its broad meaning, an automaton is any mechanism which, upon receiving an impulse, will perform a certain cycle of motions by itself. In this sense watches and clocks, and particu larly such complicated clocks as that in the Cathedral of Strassburg. are automata. For the best books relating to automata representing human and animal actions, consult: Brewster, Letters on Yatural Magic (London. 1834) ; Houdin, Secrets of Conjuring and Memoirs of Houdin (London. IS91) ; Ozanam, Mathematical cerea t ions. translated by Hntton (London, 1S54).