Mechanical Woman Walking
Brass, Aluminum, Copper, Stainless Steel
Weight-Drive Version 63” x 11” x 11”
Spring-Drive Version 30” x 11” x 11”
This is one of a series of mechanical studies of the human figure in motion. Machine elements (gear, cam, crank, linkage) assembled into a model of the female nude also serve as the mechanism that animates the model in the sequence of movements that comprise the distinctive gait of woman. As an experiment in humanoid design, the automaton is tasked with exhibiting the elegance and beauty of an ordinary human occupation.
I make Mechanical Woman Walking in both a weight-drive version and a spring-drive version.
The weight-drive version occupies more vertical space in order to accommodate the falling weight, and mounts to a wall. The spring-drive version is more compact and rests on a tabletop.
A brief technical description of the mechanics of the piece begins with the clockwork in the base, which facilitates lifting the copper weight by the winding crank, and then communicates the force of the falling weight to the figure. Integrated into the figure itself, a series of synchronized cams, cranks and linkages animate it, while the speed governor located in the head regulates the entire mechanism via the gear train that forms the torso.
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