Who We Are

Okay, you’ve got this great idea for an automata. You make a few sketches, get excited,  and then you start asking yourself, “Now, how am I going to make it all happen mechanically”? Your mind is dancing around with the gearing and special cams that will make it come alive. You’ve decided what movements would be necessary and you’re anxious to get started…
 

Things like “Oh, geez, what kind of cam will make the body part do what I want it to do”, start racing through your mind and unless you want everything in your automata to work at the same speed, you’re going to have to address the issue of gear reduction and increase of speed.
 

You’ve read too many articles, books and blogs on how to make gears, (pinwheel, all wood, and bevel). You may have even tried some of them out. But, something just took away the creative spirit on just what you wanted the automata to do.  
 

I found myself spending way too much time making gears and cams, figuring out the proper ratios and shapes needed. What happened to all the “excitement”? And I just don’t have the patience to learn some kind of CAD program.

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Let’s put the “mystery and magic” of gears and their ratios, and creating cam shapes (just for testing) are OVER. Stop “Engineering” and get to “Creating”.

I used to visit a Timberkits shop in Houston years ago. It felt like what it might be like going to the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre. I would play with all the new ones and then buy a kit. The mechanics fascinated me. In 2000, I started the American Robotics Academy. I wanted to teach basic engineering principles to elementary school children using Legos®: www.RoboticsAcademy.com.  We were thrilled to see pictures of our students and their automata creations featured in Sarah Reast’s book; “Automata For Beginners”.

As a teacher of robotics, I wanted to inspire kids to want to see what engineering principles can achieve, but not become engineers. (Although many of my students did go on to become engineers). My personal philosophy of learning was to learn with the idea of having to be able to teach the subject back to others, but make it fun and simple.
 

Teaching university photography classes for six years,  I used to downplay the make of the camera (Nikon vs. Canon?) and focus on the composition of the subject being photographed. After all, if the picture was lousy, who cares what camera you used? Which is why I try to downplay the feelings of intimidation many of us have on how to make the automaton function, and concern ourselves  with the message we want to convey in it’s action.
 

I love what the Lego materials can achieve mechanically. But I love the look of wood in an automaton. So I created a relationship with both to live together, even if only temporarily.  
 

I started the American Automata Academy  with the same intention as American Robotics Academy, but with the focus on Automata as the medium for expression. I saw the need to help others understand and feel comfortable with some basic mechanical properties.  If we get a great idea for an automata, we shouldn’t have to avoid making it because we don’t know how to carve wood or make homemade gears.

I truly admire the craftsmanship that makes up the beauty and functionality of the mechanical cams, gears, levers and presentation box. But the “movements we seek to make” take priority in the design.

One of the first areas I wanted to address was the mechanical action “below deck” that has to be there. One has to be comfortable with the tools at hand to get the job done. Hence, our first challenge was to create the box and find common solutions that will provide the “action” necessary to bring life to our scene.  When we know “how” to make our actions come alive, we then can express ourselves in any way we want in the construction of the mechanical parts.  First find out what you need, mechanically, and then take all the time and effort you want to make a statement with the parts involved.

 
What’s “under the hood” as part of that, are cams, gears, ratchets and levers of all shapes and sizes. For example, why spend “countless hours” making gears just to see if the ratio or style of cam is suitable for the action desired. I wanted to be able to just snap gears and cams on and test in seconds to see if the action was appropriate for what I was trying to convey.

 
Well, now it’s possible to cut through the mechanics and get to the artistic message.

Sooo….. Welcome to:

There are many more ratio combinations possible. These represent the most basic.

Within the “Animation Station”  package, there are:

• Nine horizontal ports for the automata drive shafts.
• Fifteen vertical ports for the animation of the objects above deck.
• The horizontal spacing of the ports for the horizontal shafts matches the Lego gear spacing to allow for multiple combinations of gear reductions and increases.
• A wooden pawl and ratchet to stop the drive-shaft from turning backwards, if desired.
• Gears, cams and spacers are all designed to fit snugly on the horizontal drive-shafts and vertical cam-following pegs.
• Wood crank handle.
• Top deck can be adjusted forward or back to gain additional space in your scene.
• Gears and cams can be locked tight, if necessary, with snugging spacers on each side.

For a detailed list of materials in the Animation Station package, find out What’s in the Box?

Using Lego® gears allows you to go into the whole world of Lego® Technic mechanics, and their unlimited possibilities. Your gear trains can go outside the frame or on the inside, anywhere along the line.

You may need only one gear combination in your automata design, but where it goes and the ratio you need are at your fingertips.

We recommend that you glue the sides, base and crossbrace. Leave the top loose for easy access and positioning.