Automata Old and New

In this lively lecture the speaker guides listeners from the mythic tripods of Homer’s Iliad to the finely crafted figures of Daedalus, showing how ancient poets and philosophers already imagined self‑moving statues powered by hidden gears and weights. He weaves references to Vulcan’s golden machines, Aristotle’s observations, and the mysterious devices described by Philostratus and Macrobius, establishing a lineage that stretches across continents and centuries. The narrative reveals how early engineers cloaked their knowledge in secrecy, using mechanical marvels to impress and control the uninitiated.

The talk then jumps to the nineteenth‑century revival sparked by the French magician‑inventor Robert‑Houdin, whose spectacular automata inspired a new generation of craftsmen and scholars. Drawing on personal notes prepared for the eccentric Sette of Odd Volumes, the author balances scholarly detail with vivid anecdotes, making the technical principles of gears, springs and quicksilver accessible to a curious ear. Listeners will come away with a richer appreciation for the blend of art, science, and storytelling that has kept these moving marvels alive.