Dragon

The word automaton comes from Greek and means “acting of one’s own will”. An automaton is a moving mechanical device, which usually resembles a human or an animal. Automata are designed to give the illusion of moving autonomously, although they actually consist of a mechanical system.

This dragon automaton was created by English artist Keith Newstead. This is how he describes his artwork:

“I was inspired to create a dragon after seeing Gaudí’s dragon gate at the Güell Pavilions in Barcelona. Its mechanism is quite simple. The main moving part is a metal rod running along the inside of the dragon’s body. The rod is bent in a wave-like shape, and as it rotates it touches the body sections in an almost fluid motion.”

Each body partis made from thin brass that has been shaped into scales and embossed using an old ballpoint pen. The embossing strengthens the brass.

The body parts are held in place with copper wires that have been bent into a spiral. These wires allow some movement, but prevent the body parts from rotating too much as a result of the friction from the rotating rod inside the dragon.

In the middle of the body there is a cam, a rotating piece with an irregular shape, which is attached to the rotating rod. This cam presses down on a rod that is attached to the dragon’s legs, making them move up and down. The wings are also moved up and down by rods inside the body, which are pulled down by thin stainless steel wires. The wires on the wings are pulled down by a pulley that rotates slightly faster than the rod.