What is automata?

Automata has a surprising long history dating from the ancient Egyptians and subsequently the Greeks and Romans.

The classic age of automata production was in the late 19th Century in France. The Industrial Revolution gave a fresh impetus to automata making with new knowledge of steam power, magnetism and optics.

Traditionally, automata mechanisms were hidden, but in this century the mechanism itself has become a feature.

Interest in mechanisms is particularly significantly in an age when most mechanical processes are well concealed in anodyne 'safe' containers which are then discarded rather than opened up and repaired.