An 1888 design by "Automaten" designer Vaucanson for a mechanical duck. It could eat and digest. The beak or chattering of the duck would help to take up some cereal and water and move it down the throat. This muck collected in the abdomen and was emptied every 3 or 4 times from a little box. Out of the rear end "F" and into a silver basket came dry green bread crumbs. I suppose the sight of a wet pooh out the rear was too realistic, and had to be managed in a less "offensive" way for the ladies and gentlemen of the courts. An interesting social design dilemma we still are dealing with today, although we have children's dolls that poop and there's nothing like Wim Delvoye's Shit Machine.
photo: from Mens & Machine, Automaten, Androiden en Robots, Rene Simmen. Published by IBM Netherlands and Van Lindonk, Amsterdam,1968.
photo: from Mens & Machine, Automaten, Androiden en Robots, Rene Simmen. Published by IBM Netherlands and Van Lindonk, Amsterdam,1968.
