Session 7

Episode 2(1) - Mechanical automation and calculating

Thursday, May 7, 2015 - 5:30 PM

CQU Building, Melbourne

How mechanical computation and automation in the ancient Greek world contributed to the rise of mechanical computation in the first half of the 20th Century.

• Extending human capabilities with automation and automated replication
• The ancient Greeks were a lot smarter than many people know
  • the 2100 year old Antikythera Mechanism was used to compute astronomical events
  • the use of automation added magic to temple spectacles

• Greek automation seems to have contributed to 18th Century androids and automatons
• The contribution to escapements, clocks, and mechanical digital computation through the mid 20th Century

Without writing and printing, forgotten knowledge is lost knowledge