Maillardet's Automaton

"Maillardet's Automaton--Mechanics of Memory" has been designed as a starting point in the introduction of meaningful learning activities and concepts. Begin by taking your students on a virtual field trip to the Franklin Institute Science Museum to view The Story of the Automaton. After viewing the photos and history of the automaton encourage exploration of the topics presented in Putting It In Motion.

Interactive online activities and printable off-line activities available in the For Students section were developed to provide students with materials that encourage independent learning. The For Reference section of the piece contains suggested additional resources, both online and printed.

The automaton and its story can be woven into thematic units such as Motion, Simple Machines, Robotics, etc. and is easily adaptable to a broad range of ages. The following sections provide suggestions for integrating this piece into classroom curriculum.