Generative Art Timeline · Chapter 1: Pre-Modern Era (Pre-1850)
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Hero of Alexandria Invents Automata

Hero of Alexandria, Greek mathematician and engineer, created a number of automata, including the aeolipile, a steam turbine, a fountain, a wind-powered organ and a puppet theater. Some of the earliest known mechanical devices, Hero’s automata demonstrated advanced knowledge of physics and engineering, paving the way for future developments in automation and robotics.
Text by Peter Bauman. Generative Art Timeline, Le Random.
Sources
People
Movements
Automata
Filed under
- Ideas
- automation, engineering, physics, puppetry
- Technologies
- aeolipile, robotics, steam power
- People
- Hero of Alexandria
- Places
- Alexandria
Echoes across time
- 1956 · CYSP 1 by Nicolas Schöffer
- 1968 · Beyond Modern Sculpture: The Effects of Science and Technology on the Sculpture of Our Time by Jack Burnham
- 1961 · Automat und Mensch Kybernetische Tatsachen und Hypothesen by Karl Steinbuch
Le Random editorials
Le Random podcast
- Timeline Ch 1—Pre-Modern Era with Marius Watz — listen with transcript on Le Random (06 Jul 2023, 46 min). Chapter 1’s episode. Apple Podcasts · Spotify