Making Marvels-Miraculous Writing Machine

Presented to Empress Maria Theresa in Vienna in 1760, this automaton was made at the height of the “century of writing.” Written communication connected scientists, dignitaries, scholars, and artists across long distances, and the act of writing was celebrated in every form. This piece is the last in a series of increasingly complicated ones that Friedrich von Knaus produced during his tenure as Austrian court machinist; he presented other examples to dignitaries such as the French king Louis XV and Duke Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
The machine writes through the hand of the small statuette seated at its top, one of the first mechanical writing figures in human form. This video shows the mechanisms inside the sphere that produce its precise movements. Up to 107 words can be preprogrammed by the arrangement of pegs on a barrel. The figure can also be set via a hand-worked control to appear to write from dictation; this technology that presaged the first typewriter.
Featured Artwork:
Miraculous Writing Machine, 1760. Friedrich von Knaus (1724-1789). Austrian, Vienna. Iron, brass, bronze (cast, some colored), paper, wood (with marbleized stucco, gilding). Technisches Museum, Vienna
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Footage courtesy the Technisches Museum, Vienna.
#art #themet #themetropolitanmuseumofart #museum #MakingMarvels #Automaton

[@welshman100]

The sheer amount of trial and error involved before this was made, must have been nigh on superhuman levels of dedication.

[@nelsonx5326]

Yes, the fine tuning.

[@walterhigo7658]

My thought exactly!! SUPERHUMAN

[@TheHectorOg]

oh man, not super human, but a life devoted in the pursue of an art.

[@jobdylan5782]

more like amount of math

[@shadowraith1]

Always been fascinated by mechanical motion. Automaton's are truly an ingenious art form.

[@MrEazyE357]

And in 1760. Just wow!

[@MrEazyE357]

There's like an hour long documentary on automatons on KZbin somewhere that I feel like you would really enjoy. I can't remember the name of it but it's the one with the British guy with brown hair, glasses, and bad teeth hosting.

[@sandra-jones]

@@MrEazyE357 "British guy with brown hair, glasses and bad teeth" that's like looking for a haystack in a haystack...🤭

[@tamerebel]

This comment made my day 😂

[@ifowallace9622]

Disculpen, ¿Alguien habla español?😕

[@commimixcreate4198]

Man, I love stuff like this. I wonder how valuable but expensive getting a love letter written by this thing is.

[@allenpinnix5241]

the Austrians were geniuses at making automatons--- I have seen Austrian clocks with fabulous automata -- many thanks for the post!!

[@nutcaseneo191]

Even that doll can write clearer than me . 🤣🤣🤣

[@auntyb6313]

I was thinking, she even writes like an old person with shaky hands lol

[@neogeo1670]

@@auntyb6313 yeah, my grandfather used to write like that when he was in his 80s

[@theprincesspeach94]

its like a typewriter but....even more beautiful

[@theempath8244]

That is a fantastic piece of animation and machinery. The mechanics that go into something like that is extraordinary and masterful. The sheer intelligence of the maker astounds me.

[@slateramalgamated7620]

I would love a video that showed the mechanical system in slower and more careful detail

[@Pro1er]

Probably the world's first paper jam.

[@timothyruszala4973]

Interesting music. It sounds like it could be a super old piano roll on an old fortepiano?

[@Mr_Santo5]

Incredible workmanship. This was definitely ahead of it's time.

[@williamavery9185]

That is the most amazing piece of art i have ever seen. To design and make it, .........unbelievable.

[@amandachan696]

I truly believe these creators are a quickly disappearing form of genius.

[@millenniumf1138]

Not entirely. There are lots of people who pursue it on a hobby level and study these old machinations to create new automata, and even make kits that one can purchase and make their own. The old ways of making these creations are done with CNC and laser cutters these days and designed on CAD programs, but it's still the exact same principles of mechanical motion.

[@AABB-zb6dv]

Have you seen the Marble musical machine video here on youtube? It kind of reminds me of this.

[@amandachan696]

@@AABB-zb6dv no I haven't! But I will check it out :) thanks for the recommendation!

[@gorgosanma]

Didn't know that this existed, how amazing! mechanically moving its arm to write all the different letters, just incredible. Looks like magic almost 300 years later.

[@joshuasarmiento5610]

No programming needed just pure mechanical engineering 😮😮😮

[@Invisiblenotbroken]

Thank you for posting. I am working on a children's book and podcast episodes on automata. This is very helpful.

[@RealityAlwaysWins]

It's beautiful, imagine the work that went into it.

[@geraldcooper8527]

wow the precision and craftsmanship

[@SpiralBreeze]

I bet you they used to make it write dirty poems at parties.

[@maggiee639]

I’m sure of it! Or saucy love letters!

[@justinwhite6787]

This exhibit was astounding! I went back three times!

[@fan2jnrc]

Technisches Museum Wien.

[@julielabelle2783]

Pure genius. Thank you for sharing.

[@malfattio2894]

And it's programable. Simply amazing...

[@thomasgeorgecastleberry6918]

Spells better than I do, amazing, I enjoyed it.

[@MicaRayan]

Whimsical .... love it

[@maledge1074]

Genius. No human in our modern world could create anything close to this given the same technology when this was created. 🧠

[@DH-gq7bm]

She sittn' side saddle too. Classy

[@alinoo1]

This 270 year old robot has better handwriting than I do.

[@demypeace]

im gobsmacked. HOW. this is mindboggling!!

[@VendPrekmurec]

"Technisches Museum Wien" (Technical Museum Vienna)... I've been there

[@Markus__B]

You missed an opportunity. It should have written "Like and Subscribe" ;)

[@bartobruintjes7056]

Wow! This would be a moneymaker. I would selling the text on paper that this machine make. Add more buttons to it, than it can write a whole book.

[@7ajhubbell]

Thank you.

The ancestor of Microsoft Word

[@lynnharrell9598]

Without spell check.

[@ericdavids9667]

This was so ahead of it's time

[@mogret7451]

If anyone likes the music it's Franz Schuberts impromptu op. 90 no.3.

[@musicloverlondon6070]

Breathtaking!

[@martyr3068]

such precise movement

[@rachelnstephens]

Omg imagine engineering this sans computer, calculator, electricity to get the hand movements just so.

[@edwardandrade4390]

Looks programmable or sorts by the look of the lettering

[@OceanSwimmer]

Would be nice if this post told us more about the invention, designer, and fate of this machine.

[@AlarnaM-24]

in the description it tells u little about the maker and its original purpose. i suspect it's in The Met (a museum) because its on the mets channel

[@edwardandrade4390]

Very cool

[@nikpan9744]

This automaton has better handwriting than I do😲

[@nelsonx5326]

That was too cool.

[@rizkamaulita7182]

This remind me of that mechanical thing who can draw from movie named "Hugo"

[@siralexandersequeira3rdcou12]

The artwork is amazing, what is The music used?

[@LuluDumpling]

Oh wow just wow!

[@brightlight2805]

Awwwwwwwww thank you for uploading such an amazing videossss

[@lorddolor6385]

WOOOOOOOOOOO ✨✨⭐✨❤️

[@ascendingdeity9303]

has anyone played Siberia?? this reminds me of that game.

[@imaginefaraway]

oh wow that's almost 20 years ago I almost forgot about it. made me look up the game again and it seems there will be new one released this year.

[@sebastianstewart6894]

So we once had steam punk prosthetic limbs or not?

[@BubbaSnipe]

Clickspring is going to make a copy of this.

[@DanielMartinez-lz3ot]

how depressing that these things are now rare.

[@reginaldbowls7180]

perfect for ransom notes

[@Creative_Icarus]

WIE HABE ICH DAS NIE GESEHEN?!

[@robertfunk2796]

if someone constructed this in present day it would be amazing, but in 1760?

[@sosickofitall4588]

I’m way too high right now

[@leikattp]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@dangmefinnish]

so first printer?

[@domytar5395]

How old is this machine and what is that cam called with the wholes and pegs in it?

[@KyAnnZorain]

It's kinda like #Wintergatan Martin Molin's Marble Machine but much more sophisticated. Still amazing! Love these things.

[@PatrioticKoreanAmerican]

How do you change letters to write a different message on that machine?

[@barenthanson3408]

I think by moving the pins which are shown at 0.56

[@graysonm.3661]

The pattern of letters is determined by pins on a drum that rolls like the mechanism in music boxes. You can change the pins or there were probably premade drums with different patterns for different messages.

[@MrRedsjack]

I have the need to change the machine settings so that when it's turned on it writes something scary.

[@auntyb6313]

Wow! When would you use this type of thing? In a fake seance? Fortune tellers reading? Lol oh so many opportunities to freak people out! Love it

[@drstranger7430]

imagine talking to the ouija board and doubting it works, then suddenly this machine starts printing our words.

[@GRIZZ357]

What would have these inventors be today F/A blows my mind

[@shanglan5173]

What's the name of the music piece in the video?

[@ocilassolrac14]

What does it say? 🤔

[@sebthi7890]

what a petty that IBM change the design of their first inkjet printer, but we are all in hurry and have no time for beauty

[@IzaakCha7]

But can it draw a smiley face?

[@onespecies-human344]

How is does not used in a horror movie

[@carmenpdl8918]

There is something that is not understandable ... I wonder, how did they achieve such technological marvels in the 18th century, but the mechanical typewriter and calculators were only invented in the late 1800s? Has the history that school books tell us to be completely rewritten?

[@prabhukiranz]

0:34

[@annecohen8927]

I am much too impressed to either speak or write. I mean, that will put all earlier and modern writers to shame. I recommend other folks to see for themselves to be amazed in utter silence.

[@pistachiobaklava1216]

What's testicle museum wine??!!

[@paddybm3245]

😂😂😂 Technisches Museum Wien = Vienna museum of technology

[@markg9178]

Not sure but I'd wash my hands after the encounter.

[@Turambar3791]

Write "España" please

[@thomasmichael95]

Hello world

[@kaysdash8556]

H U G O

[@--Paws--]

Someone should link it with Siri or Alexa...

[@crazyoveryou920]

Lucas clown is shaking

[@Gr8Layks]

Translation?!

[@The_Butler_Did_It]

Technisches Museum Wien. = Technical Museum Vienna.

[@prabhukiranz]

:34

[@archkull]

i hate the camera work. Just let me see the whole machine without fifty million zoomed in cuts.

[@maxmusic5380]

A wonder of satanic witchcraft

[@Silviaeb]

Mad Max I bet some people back then had that thougt!

[@lazy_mcha7563]

Well that writing is actually way better than your writing

[@KTCC13]

This is gorgeously excessive

[@prowlandsasuke]

When a automation has better hand writing then you. 😔😔😔

[@ronliebermann]

What’s interesting is that the Germans took these mechanical devices to the limit. But they never get a exhibition of their own. I think that this kind of sophisticated craftsmanship frightens and angers women who wish to live in a world of pure concepts. They don’t want to be compared unfavorably with men who choose to do battle in the real world.

[@atmakali9599]

Only the male mind can invent and construct marvels like this.

[@xav96]

untrue