# What are these called - automatons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 15, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202 "2004-05-15T00:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/1 "2004-05-15T00:49:54Z")
I’ve read about these highly advanced “robotic” mechanical displays that were popular amusements back in the 15th/16th century (? could be way off here). I think I remember them being referred to as automatons or automats (which is a logical name). Does anyone know what I’m talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/2 "2004-05-15T00:54:34Z")
They’re called automatons. Some pretty cool ones out there, too. Automats are those places where you could buy a sandwich out of the wall for a quarter. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/3 "2004-05-15T02:25:23Z")
No cite to hand, but the Japanese had some _very_ cool ones. I seem to recall one that would carry a teacup across a room or something… ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/4 "2004-05-15T02:31:42Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > Automats are those places where you could buy a sandwich out of the wall for a quarter. Did these really exist? When? Where? I’m 32, and the only place I’ve ever seen them – including _all media_ that I can remember – is in the movie _Dark City_. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/5 "2004-05-15T02:53:31Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Did these really exist? When? Where? I’m 32, and the only place I’ve ever seen them – including _all media_ that I can remember – is in the movie _Dark City_. New York City. The coolest place to have lunch, and better coffee than you can get anywhere nowadays. [http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/automat/automat.htm](http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/automat/automat.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/6 "2004-05-15T03:03:18Z")
Ah, so I was right then. Now if I only I could find some good websites…_hint hint_ ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/7 "2004-05-15T03:04:42Z")
The Japanese automatons are called _karakuri ningyo_. For pictures and descriptions of a whole shitload, go [here](http://www.cjn.or.jp/karakuri/) ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/8 "2004-05-15T04:19:04Z")
[nitpick] The plural is ‘automata’. [/nitpick] Here’s a link: [Automata Galleria](http://www.nyu.edu/pages/linguistics/courses/v610051/gelmanr/ling.html). I’m sure there are more, but Google doesn’t help much for this because ‘automata’ is a major subject in theoretical computer science. I searched on “automata -finite -cellular -language\*” and still got 185,000 hits, apparently with most of them being irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/9 "2004-05-15T05:03:46Z")
There was a historical freaks and curiosities show on the Discovery channel awhile back, called _Would You Believe it?_ that had a section on automata. One of the more impressive ones, the [Silver Swan](http://www.bowesmuseum.org.uk/collections/swanfacts.html), has a web page with history, pictures, and even a video clip of the machine in action. You’d never beleive that the thing was built over _200_ years ago, and that it _still_ works, if you didn’t see it yourself. It’s amazing. See for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/10 "2004-05-15T06:19:57Z")
Amtrak’s Hiawatha line, which runs from Chicago to Milwaukee, has an Automat car on rush-hour trains. Not living in that part of the country i’ve never been on it, but i’ve heard the food is of acceptable quality. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/11 "2004-05-15T14:19:32Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Amtrak’s Hiawatha line, which runs from Chicago to Milwaukee, has an Automat car on rush-hour trains. Really? I take that train all the time and never seen or heard of this. Its only an hour long trip so I don’t wander the train so I’d never have seen it. There is a vendor-guy who sells cookies and candy and beverages from a card, too. The guy is a real hoot that clearly loves his job. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/12 "2004-05-15T14:39:51Z")
I recall reading in the paper a while back that there was a company that wanted to compete with convienence stores by having what was essentially a mobile automat. It was basically the side of a [varously sized truck, from moving van to semi] that would pull up somewhere, probably in a big parking lot and would carry all sorts of crap that you could buy (razors, soft drinks, movie rentals, etc.). The automat was basically just a fast food restaurant/diner crossed with a vending machine. The interesting questions to me is why did they fail? For other literature references to automats, Mike Hammer is fond of stopping into them. I think in THE SNAKE he did at least. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/13 "2004-05-15T15:00:21Z")
[Horn & Hardart](http://hornandhardart.com/index.htm) is the famous name in automats; their web page [reports](http://hornandhardart.com/history.htm) “In 1902, Horn & Hardart brought the first Automat from Germany to 818 Chestnut Street.” Photos of the wall of vending machines [here](http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/automat/automat.htm) from an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. Exhibit includes links to recipes for [macaroni and cheese](http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/automat/automat2.htm), [baked beans](http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/automat/automat2a.htm), and [pumpkin pies](http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/automat/automat1.htm) and [automat memories](http://www.mcny.org/Exhibitions/automat/automat3.htm). ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/14 "2004-05-15T15:15:15Z")
Then of course there is [The Turck](http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0502/p16s01-bogn.html), a fake automoton that we can thank for starting Babbage on the road that lead us to where we are today (sitting at computers). ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-called-automatons/245202/15 "2004-05-15T16:49:00Z")
And in case some folks here are unfamiliar with the word, it is spoken with the accent on the second syllable: au TA’ ma ton. My parents took me to the Horn and Hardart automat in NYC several times when I was a kid in the 1960s. It was pretty cool, but the reason it failed probably had to do with the complication (and hence expense) of the mechanisms, and the fact that a cafeteria line with a cashier was simpler and more cost effective.