WLA nyhistorical Mechanical toy carousel mid-19th C

Mechanical toys are

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

s powered by

mechanical energy In Outline of physical science, physical sciences, mechanical energy is the sum of potential energy and kinetic energy. The principle of conservation of mechanical energy states that if an isolated system is subject only to conservative forces, t ...

. Depending on the mechanism used they can perform a range of motions, from simple to very complex.

Types

The types of

used to power mechanical toys include

rubber band A rubber band (also known as an elastic band, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845 by Stephen P ...

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

s, and

flywheel A flywheel is a mechanical device which uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, ass ...

s. Mechanical toys use 4 types of different movements, rotary (going around in a circle),

linear Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear r ...

(moving in a straight line then stopping), reciprocating (moving backwards and forwards continuously in a straight line) and

oscillating Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...

(moving backwards and forwards in a curve). Mechanical toys use several types of mechanisms, because Cam toys are powered by a very large

cam Calmodulin (CaM) (an abbreviation for calcium-modulated protein) is a multifunctional intermediate calcium-binding messenger protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells. It is an intracellular target of the secondary messenger Ca2+, and the bind ...

and even bigger

cam follower In mechanical engineering, a cam follower, also known as a track follower, is a specialized type of roller or needle bearing designed to follow cam lobe profiles. Cam followers come in a vast array of different configurations, however the most d ...

which transfers the cam rotation to the working area of the toy. The cam is ''unevenly'' rotated by placing the rotator out of the ideal center. This transforms the circular motion into motion that moves up and powers the toy. Crank toys are internally based on cams too but allow more complicated motions. Single rotation of the crank leads to single action in the working area of the toy, and moving the crank forward and backward can result in reversed motion. Some toys have cameras in them which makes them very expensive. Gear toys use

gear A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic pr ...

wheels to transfer the power in the toy, to change the speed and direction of motion. They can be powered by hand (with a cram or cam and cam follower) or by ''wind-up mechanism''. The different number of teeth in the gear wheels determine the speed transition from wheel to wheel. By chaining and distributing number of gear wheels this type of mechanical toys allows very complex motions. Lever toys are mechanical toys that use the mechanical advantage of a lever to transmit and transform movement. Lever toys can use cranks and cams too. Pulley toys. Pulleys are very similar to gear wheels but two elements are connected by a metal chain or belt from elastic strong material (for example rubber.) Pulleys allow transferring power on distance much easier and with less losses that using number of gear wheels. Using pulleys in mechanical toys also allows to change the angle, the speed and the direction of the motion.

Wind-up toy A wind-up toy is an automaton toy powered by a clockwork motor. Background Automata built for the sake of art, amusement, and simulation have been described since antiquity, in cases such as Heron of Alexandria designing clockwork birds during ...

s typically are powered by a metal spring that is tightened by turning it. Then gear wheels and pulleys can transfer the power and control the toy motion.

History

One of the first mechanical toys is the flying pigeon by

Archytas of Tarentum Archytas (; el, Ἀρχύτας; 435/410–360/350 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, music theorist, astronomer, statesman, and strategist. He was a scientist of the Pythagorean school and famous for being the reputed found ...

created 400 years BC. In 16th Century

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

created his mechanical lion as a present for king Louis XII. The lion could walk and reveal a cluster of lilies from his chest. In 1738

Jacques de Vaucanson Jacques de Vaucanson (; February 24, 1709 – November 21, 1782) was a French inventor and artist who built the first all-metal lathe which was very important to the Industrial Revolution. The lathe is known as the mother of machine tools, as it ...

created a mechanical robot duck that was able to drink and eat. Pierre Jaquet-Doz created ''The Writer, The Draftsman and The Musician'' - toys that are still present in the museum of Art and History in Switzerland.

In education

The potential educational value of mechanical toys in teaching transversal skills has been recognised by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

education project ''Clockwork objects, enhanced learning: Automata Toys Construction'' (CLOHE).CLOHE
/ref> Also they play a valid part in teaching young children motor skills and are used in some schools to do this Mechanical toys were the subject of the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning 1972 short Dutch documentary, ''

This Tiny World ''This Tiny World'' ( nl, Deze kleine wereld) is a 1972 Dutch short documentary film about antique mechanical toys, produced by Charles and Martina Huguenot van der Linden. It won an Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mechanical Toy Mechanical toys

Types

History

In education

See also

References