The Franklin Institute's automaton can't help you find a good sushi place, direct you out of a traffic jam or check your bank balance. But the automaton, a mechanical doll animated by a complex system ...

Robert Nott More than 200 years ago, Swiss watchmaker Henri Maíllardét created an invention that still captivates children of all ages -- particularly as a version of it recently popped up in the ...

An Academy Award-nominated movie is casting a bright spotlight on an unusual machine at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The science museum's 200-year-old automaton is a mechanical doll ...

Martin Scorsese’s first foray into big-budget family filmmaking — as well as his inaugural effort in 3-D — Hugo is a personal statement disguised as a sellout. Hugo’s obsession with the writing robot ...

Don't let the retro look of the mechanical men built by Swiss artisan Francois Junod deceive you -- they fascinate tech fans from Silicon Valley to Asia and will no doubt gain broader popularity after ...