A robot swan from the 1700s

The Silver Swan looks alive, but it is an 18th-century machine. Clockwork powers its graceful movements: it turns its neck, preens and appears to catch a little silver fish. Inside are three clockwork mechanisms and around 2,000 moving parts. Rotating glass rods create the illusion of flowing water. Mark Twain marvelled at its lifelike movements when he saw it at the Paris exhibition in 1867. After careful restoration, it can still perform at The Bowes Museum.

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