Automaton hugo
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The Draughtsman-Writer writes one of seven elaborate sketches (four drawings and three poems).īrian Selznick, the author behind The Invention of Hugo Cabret, from which the film is adapted, has noted that he changed certain aspects of the Draughtsman-Writer automaton for the story. The key that accompanied the automaton fits into the machine base (which holds the clockwork mechanisms) and winds the springs to start the machine. The automaton arrived at the Franklin Institute badly damaged, possibly from a fire, but an Institute machinist restored the machine to working order. Hugo’s automaton is based on the Draughtsman-Writer, designed by Swiss mechanician Henri Maillardet in the 18th century. Part of Hugo’s mystery story is what the automaton writes, and how Hugo discovers the key (a literal key) to the automaton’s clockwork.īut over at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA, the mystery of the writing automaton has already been solved. This particular automaton sits at a desk with a pen in hand, prepared to write. (Think of it as a larger, more complex music box.) The Draughtsman-WriterĪll this talk of automata but how does this relate to Hugo again? The main character in the film, the orphaned Hugo, is given an old, broken-down automaton by his late father. Each mechanism controls a part of the swan’s movement as it turns its head side to side, “sees” a fish in the glass river below, and bends its head to catch and swallow the fish – all while playing music. The Silver Swan, designed by John Joseph Merlin in the 18th century, contains three separate clockwork mechanisms. That system was later replaced with clockwork driven devices. Leonardo da Vinci also dabbled in automata, including a knight robot that could sit, stand, and raise its visor.Įarly automata, like the cart and knight robot, run on a system of pulleys and cables. Hero, a Greek mathematician and engineer, designed several automata, including a programmable three-wheeled cart. The machines became popular in the 18th century, but the earliest automaton dates back to 60 AD. Autonomous AutomataĪutomata are self-operating machines with a long, and strange, history. But what about Hugo, the Martin Scorsese–directed film about an orphan living in a Paris train station in the 1930s? The 3-D adventure offers a glimpse into some engineering history with the help of an automaton. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, while Arthur Christmas is a high-tech take on Santa Claus (so will we see engineer elves?). The Muppets features the return of Muppet scientists (and CERN employees) Dr. The Thanksgiving lineup is sure to bring laughs and stunning animation but it also offers moviegoers a little science. Everyone knows Thanksgiving is all about the movies, and this year theaters are offering up three family-friendly films: The Muppets, Arthur Christmas, and Hugo.