The September–October 2026 issue of Automata Magazine is a particularly useful reminder of why a specialised publication still matters. Rather than treating automata as curiosities, it follows the subject from historical makers to the practical decisions that determine whether a mechanism actually works.
Matt Smith reconstructs the history of the Fourteen Balls Toy Company, a name familiar to many automata collectors and makers. Tom Haney turns to one of the basic elements of mechanical animation — the cam — and looks at how its profile governs movement. Marc Horovitz offers another view of prototyping, while Barry Falkner’s The Sneeze brings the issue back to the finished automaton and to the humour that often gives these machines their character.
For a paper automata maker, the most interesting part is the continuity between idea, mechanism and object. Cams and prototypes may sound like workshop preliminaries, but they are where much of the expressive quality of an automaton is decided. A small change in lift, timing or linkage can turn a merely moving figure into something that seems to hesitate, react or perform.
Automata Magazine is published online every two months and covers building, collecting, restoration and the history of automata. Whenever a new issue appears, it will have a permanent place in paperPino’s Monthly News.
Source: Automata Magazine
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