Karakuri

[Dave Monroe]

Japan has always been on the forefront of cutting edge robotics. Its
roots can be traced back 200-300 years during the Edo period when
skilled craftsmen created automata (self-operating machines). Using
nothing more than pulleys and weights they were able to make the
Karakuri (Japanese automata) perform amazing tasks.

Japan's modern day robots can be traced back to the Karakuri. Today
Hideki Higashino is one of the few remaining craftsmen who is
determined to keep the history and tradition of Japanese Karakuri
alive

http://vimeo.com/24412432

http://www.dslrnewsshooter​.com/2011/05/31/filming-ja
pans-robot-ancestors-using​-the-sony-f3-for-aljazeera​s-frames/

Also ...

http://www.diginfo.tv/2011/08/01/11-0158-r-en.php#.TjizSHJN7rI.facebook