Author Topic: Really Cool Technology  (Read 1318 times)

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Offline Kristine

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Really Cool Technology
« on: January 04, 2013, 02:05:38 am »
PLEASE! - someone write this into a story, put this as an artifact in a game, it needs to be part of a Steampunk nature scene picture and the guy who made it needs to be immortalized somewhere... - VERY COOL!!!!

This is a Bejeweled Clockwork Steampunk Caterpillar - circa 1750

here is it moving... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y096CLqUNE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y096CLqUNE</a>  and just for grins and giggles here is the real thing... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaQzsqezaSE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaQzsqezaSE</a>

Born 1745, Maillardet was a Swiss mechanician who worked in London producing clocks and other mechanisms, including various automata, including a famous set depicting magicians and others which could write in French and English.

The motions of these latter robots, which also drew pictures, were by a series of cams located on shafts in the base, with what is believed to be the largest cam-based memory of any automaton of the era.  When one was presented to Philadelphia's Franklin Institute in 1928 it was of unknown origin; but once restored to working order, the robot itself provided the answer by penning the words 'written by the automaton of Maillardet'.

The Ethiopian Caterpillar was sold at Sotheby's Geneva auction room in 2010 and was snapped up for $415,215 by an Asian buyer.  The auctioneers said in a statement: 'The body realistically designed to represent a caterpillar comprising eleven jointed ring segments, framed by seed pearls, and decorated with translucent red enamel over an engine-turned ground, studded overall with gold-set rubies, turquoise, emeralds,and diamonds.
The underside is decorated with champlevé black enamel. When the automaton movement is engaged, the caterpillar crawls realistically, its body moving up and down simulating the undulations of a caterpillar by means of a set of gilt-metal knurled wheels.  The automata work is composed of a barrel, cam and two leavers all working together to create the crawling motion.'




Something old... - something new... So you thought we should have flying cars by now huh?...


The promo video...
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRRnXq41UV4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRRnXq41UV4</a>

Offline Old Viking

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Re: Really Cool Technology
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2013, 06:08:57 pm »
The caterpillar is a little plain for my taste.  The flying car is sensational, and likely to put an end to toll roads.  Unfortunately the drunks will take to it like stink takes to a monkey.
I am an old man, and I've seen many problems, most of which never happened.